Bonds
by Wolfgang Yharnum
Summary: With the fall of Constantinople came a new wave of chaos for Earth Land. But in the irradiated ruins of the Ottoman capital was a secret that required two keys to open. And one was on a path to destruction, protected by a masterful swordsman who just so happens to land in the clutches of the exclusively female guild of Mermaid Heel. OCxHarem, AU. LEMONS, EXTREME VIOLENCE, LANGUAGE
1. The Empires Collide

Chapter One

The Empires Collide

'_They had not realized it at first. The Ottomans mined deep into the earth to find a deposit of a powerful mineral that unleashed a dangerously potent amount of energy when it was split down to the atoms and beyond. It was an enormous cache, and it contributed to the Platinum Ottoman Treasure. But they soon learned that this cache of mineral, which they dubbed 'Uranium', was actually attached to a sleeping beast that had been hibernating under the earth for several hundred years. And when they attempted another mining operation, it awoke. The miners were devastated by an attack from the beast. The Ottoman Emperor ordered it captured, as to sustain their source of Uranium. But it was no easy task._

_ The beast turned out to be an ancient and powerful Dragon named Ionicus. The Dragon spoke with the Ottomans who were sent to capture him. He convinced them to return to their Emperor and strike a deal with the ruler of the most powerful empire on the southwestern continent. And that deal was certainly desirable to the Emperor. In exchange for ending his soulless, haunting existence and moving his power to another host, the Dragon would give its Uranium littered corpse and hibernation cavern to the Empire. Ionicus had lost his soul hundreds of years ago, and only wished to pass its power and remnants of soul to a worthy successor. This pleased the Ottoman Emperor and he called upon his greatest wizards and scientists to achieve this goal._

_ Understandably, the rest of this story was kept secret from everyone in the Empire aside from the Emperor and his advisors. But luckily enough, yours truly had been outside the Platinum Gates when a powerful explosion leveled the city and all its inhabitants. This mysterious Dragon had indirectly caused the fall of the Ottoman Empire, in one way or another. May my country rest in peace with its emperor, Xerxes Ottoman VII.' _– Final page of, _'Rise and Instant Fall of the Ottoman Empire' _by Carritus Justinius.

Ulysses slapped the book down on his desk. It was one of the ones he carried with him, other than his _'Metallurgy- Guide to Metals and How to Forge!'_ book. And a manual, it detailed multiple fighting styles, namely swordsmanship. It was titled _'Fighting with Blades' _and it was very old. He got up from the desk and looked out his inn's window. A silvery key hung from his neck and gleamed in the morning sun. The city he resided in, Helios, a coastal city, was quiet for a Saturday morning. Far more quiet than he liked. Ulysses slicked his long, brown hair back and his clothing magically appeared on his body with a red flash. A black, sleeveless shirt, olive jeans, black boots, fingerless gloves, and a long, grey overcoat with a wide lapel and collar. His key necklace, hidden under his form-fitting shirt. He noticed a man, shrouded in dark clothes with a white skull mask stalk the streets. Ulysses stared him down, his reptilian, glowing emerald colored eyes were easy to spot in the darkness of his room. The skull-masked man noticed this and started running towards the inn.

_Time to go. _Ulysses turned, grabbed his books, and they vanished into thin air with a bit of magic. And with the same magic, Ulysses conjured one of his psychotically sharp bastard swords with a green handle. He then vaulted out his open window, descending on the masked man. The man looked up in time to be pierced through the eye by Ulysses' sword. He died the moment the blade exited the back of his skull and was pulled free as Ulysses started rushing down the street. He turned a corner and ducked a swing of an axe. Another skull masked man tried to pull his axe from the white stones of the house. But he was too slow, for Ulysses cut him down before the blade was truly free. He left two halves of his would-be assassin in the street and continued towards the city gates.

"There's nowhere to run, Platinum." A voice called from the top of the gates as the street leading to it was flanked by masked men. Ulysses skidded to a halt and raised his sword as he was slowly surrounded by skull masks on either side. Their apparent leader, a man resting on top of the Helios main gate, wore a blue skull mask that smiled.

"Doesn't it just suck when you're the center of a gangbang?" Ulysses deadpanned as the masked men surrounded him. They all started laughing quietly at his joke. Ulysses grinned. At least they were happy before they died.

"Silence! Do you mock me, Platinum?" The blue masked man asked. Ulysses shrugged. He mocked everyone equally. This mysterious orgy-leader was no different.

"Yeah, I usually mock lots of people. So who are you, other than my enemies?" Ulysses asked, lowering his sword. The masked men did not know what to make of his sudden compliance. They tensely awaited orders. Ulysses casually leaned on his sword.

"Hmm… such arrogance for a dead man. But I suppose you could know who I am. Who we are. Who I work for, before you die and we take your treasures for ourselves. We are the Order of the Golden Skull. Perhaps you know of us?" the blue masked man wondered as he descended from the gate with a gentle landing. Ulysses noted the dexterity of his foe. And the title he had heard, the Order this foe of his spoke of. He knew it.

_The Order of the Golden Skull. Assassins from the Babylonian Empire in service of the Cult of Ishtar. Motherfucker, they followed me all the way across the ocean to Fiore. Which means the Assyrians aren't far behind, and the Hittites are just a step behind the Assyrians. Fucking hell, are all my ancestral enemies gonna show up for a bloodbath? _Ulysses thought. His distress for the newfound situation could wait, because the Order's assassins were slowly converging on him.

"I am your friendly executioner. Bluestone is my name, and if my men can't kill you, I will." Bluestone said as he drew a long, curved saber from his waist. Ulysses picked his sword up and cut down the first assassin as he tried to attack. The other assassins hesitated as their comrade fell with such ease from Ulysses. He grinned at Bluestone and whipped the blood off his sword.

"You can certainly try." Ulysses said. He was then swamped by attacks from all sides. Blade met blade as he dodged, parried, and slashed his way through Bluestone's men. Limbs flew as he sliced them off and kicked one man into another. He decapitated one assassin and brought his blade through the torso of another. He sliced through another's arms and summoned a dagger to plunge into a man he tripped. Blood splattered across the white stone streets of Helios, staining them red and painting a horrific depiction of death. And by either miracle or great skill, Ulysses remained spotless as blood caked his blade. He gutted one man and splattered his innards across another, simultaneously slicing the assassin's chest cavity open. And with another spin and flourish of his blade, the head fell off the last of the Golden Skull assassins. Twenty eight men in total, slaughtered like sheep in a matter of minutes. Ulysses released a hot breath as his blood flowed hot from the dance of destruction.

"By Ishtar's tits! You are as strong as the tales tell, Platinum!" Bluestone laughed and clapped as he approached the bloodbath. Ulysses retrieved his dagger and sheathed it on his thigh. He summoned a pure white cloth and wiped the blood from his blade with it. He tossed it into the pile of corpses where it mixed with more blood. But it was already red from his blade.

"Tales embellish far too much for my taste. I tend to live more modestly than that." Ulysses said as he rolled his sword over to the edge that was still razor-sharp. The other had sliced through too many men to be as sharp as its counterpart. Bluestone shook his head and raised his saber to the ready.

"Well, this is the end of your tale, Platinum. I've trained for years to take on master swordsmen like yourself. And I've never lost a fight to date." Bluestone said arrogantly. Ulysses could see him smile under his mask. He twirled his blade and raised it at the ready.

"There's a first for everything." Ulysses said with a grin. Bluestone dashed forward and struck first. Ulysses parried his attack and struck for his hand. The guard on his saber blocked Ulysses' attack and their clash ended. They clashed several more times before Ulysses locked his foe's saber with the guard on his sword. Ulysses broke the lock and thrust his blade into Bluestone's face. He managed to slice part of the mask off and revealed the mad, bloodthirsty grin underneath. Bluestone licked a drop of blood from his cheek.

"You know… you could have ended this with that magic everyone says you have!" Bluestone yelled as they clashed blades again. But he screamed as Ulysses broke the lock and rammed his sword into Bluestone's unused arm.

"I could. But if you have read the tales, then you know that I never use my magic." Ulysses said as he locked up Bluestone's sword arm and twisted his blade deeper in the assassin's arm. Bluestone laughed and screamed as Ulysses sliced his arm off. Bluestone dropped his sword as Ulysses smashed the pommel of his sword into the man's elbow, snapping it backwards. He then sliced that arm off, leaving Bluestone to drop to his knees as his shoulders squirted blood.

"Oh… I know… but I never expected to find a wizard with honor. Fine then. Ishtar take me." Bluestone said, accepting his fate as Ulysses leveled his sword with the assassin's throat. Ulysses had heard of the Order of the Golden Skull, but he had never expected to find an assassin with honor. He decapitated the man and left his body to collapse on the street. He whipped the blood off his sword and all his armaments vanished in a flash of magic.

"Rest well. You were a worthy opponent." Ulysses said quietly. He stooped down and collected Bluestone's saber. It was intricate and well-crafted. He got the sheath and added the blade to his collection as it vanished in a flash. A reminder of the terror approaching on the horizon. The scent of blood, defecation, and death riddled the air. Ulysses quickly realized he was still in Helios and made a mad-rush for the gate. It was shut and barred, most likely to keep him in while the assassins did their work. But it was no problem for him as he managed to vault the wall after clambering up it. Ulysses dashed off into the vast countryside of Fiore, leaving behind the terrible mess of dead assassins in Helios. He prayed he could get away and never return. But his prayers would go unanswered…

* * *

_One Week Later…_

"Why yes, a fellow just like that stayed here at my inn. He paid his tab. I don't ask too many questions past that. What do you need with him?" Benny, an old innkeeper, asked to the group of armored soldiers in his main hall. They wore silvery armor with red inlay and red shoulder capes. On their hips they had short swords and they carried large, dome-like round shields. Their commander wore a helmet that had a red crest atop it, while the others wore simple helms that covered most of their face in steel grates.

"Well, Mr. Benny, this man is a murderer and wanted by three different countries for various crimes similar to murder. I don't expect that you knew that, did you?" the commander said to Benny. The old man gasped and held his heart.

"No! I never knew! And you said he's wanted? Are you hunting him?" Benny wondered. He sat down on a stool to take in the shock. The commander nodded and placed a stack of Jewel on the counter.

"Please, sir, tell us anything that might help us find him." The commander said. Benny looked between the commander and the money. He nodded and adjusted his glasses.

"Of course. He said his name was Hephaestus, and he was going to head northeast I think. Said something of the sort, anyways. But the gate leading out of Helios goes southeast. I'm guessing he took the first left he could and kept going from there. Didn't leave a trace in his room, either. That's all I know, Commander Isswir." Benny said as he collected the cash and put it away. Isswir smiled and shook Benny's hand.

"Thank you, Benny. My scouts can handle this. Farewell." Isswir said and ordered his men out of the inn. Benny waved and had a drink for himself behind the bar.

"No problem, now you take him back to Assyria with you!"

* * *

_Somewhere Else in Fiore…_

"Those motherfucking Hittites are here!?" Ulysses whispered to himself as he hid in the tree line. The road leading northwest was occupied by a marching army. Their yellow and grey armor stood out against the green woods of Fiore. They carried tower shields and spears, their sandaled feet stomped against the cobblestone road, and they had tamed lions marching with them.

_So the Babylonians send assassins, but the Hittites send a whole fuckin army? What did the Assyrians send? A few scouts and one battalion of soldiers? _Ulysses thought as he watched the army march past. They soon stopped at the sound of shouts and jeers from somewhere ahead of them. Ulysses conjured up a telescope and sighted down the line of yellow helms. Ahead of the army was a small contingent of red and silver wearing soldiers who ambushed and clashed with the Hittites. The Assyrians. Ulysses watched as the group slowly cut through the thinned ranks of the Hittite soldiers. They tried to form up, but the road was too narrow. Suddenly, as if by fate's hands, Golden Skull assassins attacked the middle of the Hittite forces near Ulysses' hiding spot. He put his scope away and hid himself deeper in the undergrowth.

_This has got to be the most hilarious thing ever. Three rival empires fighting each other in pursuit of the last of their other rival. But I have to fuck off and I have to do it soon. I'm betting that the Hittites are gonna get slaughtered here, but so will the Assyrians. The Golden Skull is good, so they won't lose too many men. Then they'll be on my ass like rabbits in heat. _Ulysses thought as he started crawling through the brush. Even if he made enough noise to wake a sleeping serpent, the clashing of steel and rattling of armor overwhelmed it. He sincerely wondered how all three of his ancient enemies managed to invade Fiore and find him without consequence. But that could wait. Ulysses made his way back from whence he came, as the Hittite line blocked the next road he needed. He would be spotted the moment he tried to cross. So, unfortunately, Ulysses was forced back in the direction of Helios.

"I sure hope there's a way around…"

* * *

_Later…_

_ Aw fuck… _Ulysses thought as he watched a battalion of the Fiore Army come marching up the road that crossed before him. He dove into the bushes again, not knowing if they were after him or not. He saw a man riding a horse who seemed to be commanding the force.

"Hurry men! A foreign army snuck their way into Fiore! We must counter this attack!" The commander yelled to his men. Ulysses sighed in relief. The Fiore soldiers were going to fight the Hittite army. He grinned as he walked out of the bushes and approached the Fiore commander.

"Excuse me! Are you a Fiore soldier!?" Ulysses called to the commander as he approached. The mounted man turned to regard him and drew his sword.

"Whoa! Hold there, citizen! Let my men pass in peace!" The commander said, holding his sword to bar Ulysses from getting any closer. He happily complied with the commander and stood where he was.

"I'm a traveler and I saw an army back on that road. I think they're from the Hittite Empire!" Ulysses called to the commander. The man looked back in shock at him and nearly dropped his sword.

"The Hittites!? One of the Three Great Empires from the Far East? This is worse than I imagined. How can you be sure? Describe them!" The commander ordered. Ulysses was again happy to comply. If he could make Fiore fight the Hittites, then that was one less enemy for him to deal with. Through coincidence and guile, he solved his own problem.

"Yellow helmets and shields. Lions painted on their shields. Skirted uniforms and spears. They even had lions with yellow capes marching with them." Ulysses said. The commander's eyes widened in shock and he suddenly road ahead of his men. Another horseman soon rode by at a bewildering speed, shaking the ground as he went. He was lightly equipped and carried a satchel. Ulysses smiled. A messenger. Soon all of the continent would know that the Hittite Empire invaded the Kingdom of Fiore. A war, just because they were clumsy and sent an army into a foreign county to capture _one _man. Ulysses was not sure if he should feel honored or guilty that the Hittites risked war to find him. He was not glad that the men of Fiore were being sent to fight his long-time enemy, but in a way, he could not wholly blame himself.

_At least the Assyrians and Babylonians were quieter about it. But what happens when the Fiores discover an Assyrian corpse? Is it going to blow up into a three-way war, now that the Hittites know the Assyrians are here AND they invaded unbeknownst to Fiore? _Ulysses wondered as he waited for the Fiore army to pass. They finally seemed to break up and he slipped through back towards Helios. He had to get to a safe area and regroup his thoughts and plans now that they had been thwarted by literal warfare. The mess he was creating was starting to stack up a pretty high price. But now he needed to find a way to escape to his destination. As the noise of warring armies slowly faded behind him, the forest became hills as a white city came into view. And from the gates came a small group of women. Ulysses casually walked past the group as they left the city and headed for the gate. When he entered there was a small crew doing finishing work on the stone just inside the city. Ulysses remembered standing there a week before, the stone stained red with the blood of his foes.

_Whoops… _He thought as he passed the workers. They completed their work and cleaned up the scene. But one of the workers was watching him.

"Hey Harold, isn't that the guy the Mermaid Heel wizards were asking about?" a worker said as Ulysses kept walking towards the docks. He stopped for a moment and glanced back at the workers. He could still hear them, despite the distance.

"I think so. Tall, grey coat, green eyes… Holy crap! Somebody get the wizards!"

Ulysses started running. His instincts went into full throttle. But he had not run another twenty yards before he had to dive out of the way of an attack. A sword stuck itself in the ground where he had been standing and Ulysses rolled onto his knee to face his attackers. An armored woman, a woman with a sheathed sword, a cat-like girl in a bikini and cloak, and two white haired women started to encompass the square Ulysses was in. The sword vanished in a familiar magical light.

"_**ReQuip **_Magic? Fuck." Ulysses cursed as the sword reappeared in the armored woman's hand. She leveled the blade at him and summoned another one in her other hand. The workers and civilians quickly cleared the streets.

"Hold there, villain. You're not escaping us. There's a bounty on your head and we intend to take it!" The armored woman shouted as the others readied themselves for a fight. The woman with the sheathed sword approached her comrade.

"Erza, do you think you can take him?" the woman with the sheathed sword asked. Erza, the redhead in armor, nodded and started walking towards Ulysses.

"Of course, Kagura. Stay back. There's no telling what he can do." Erza said. Ulysses sighed and stood up. He started taking his coat off and calmly laid it on a barrel next to a house. He walked out into the open and started chuckling. He should have expected as much.

"Damn those Babylonians. I'll give them credit for duping Fiore's wizards like that, but clearly they can't take me by themselves." Ulysses said as he summoned a very basic two handed sword. It was so plain that the women started laughing amongst themselves.

"A wimpy sword like that isn't going to help you against Erza. They don't call her the Queen of Knights for no reason." The cat-like girl called out. Ulysses smiled to himself. He was to fight someone dubbed, 'Queen of Knights'. He found it utterly exciting. But there was a reason he picked the most simple and bland sword in his whole collection. It was dull.

"You can _**ReQuip**_? Then I should certainly be the one to fight you. Prepare yourself, villain." Erza said as she stood just paces from Ulysses. He gave his sword a twirl and brandished it in a relaxed stance.

"So, you girls took a job to catch me… How much did they pay? One million? Two million?" Ulysses asked. Erza glared at him and rushed forward to strike. Ulysses grinned as she approached and rushed forward at the last possible moment. They met in the middle and the sound of steel being slammed against steel pierced the streets. Erza cringed and doubled over as her armor was dented at the waist and Ulysses pried his sword loose from her armor. He then whacked her across the head with the broadside of his sword, effectively knocking her out.

"Erza!" the other women exclaimed, shocked that their comrade was taken out. Kagura screamed in rage and charged Ulysses. He readied his sword again.

"They certainly did not pay you enough." Ulysses said as he clashed with Kagura. Her sheathed sword took a small chip out of the edge of his. Though surprised by her sword's ability, Ulysses broke the lock and lunged forward, kicking Kagura's legs out with a sweeping kick. Once she hit the ground he conducted the same method against the back of her head as he did to Erza and Kagura was out. And before he was even able to say anything, his sword arm was bound by a long, brown tube. He glanced out at the cat-like girl who held the tendril.

"Millianna! Careful, he's too strong!" one of the white haired girls yelled. Millianna gritted her teeth as she tried to control Ulysses' sword arm.

"I've got him, Mira, Lisanna, take him out!" Millianna shouted as she started pulling him towards her. Ulysses tried summoning another sword to cut the rope, but found his magic not working. So he took his sword from his bound arm and rolled it to the opposite edge. He was careful, not dumb.

"You know, I've been using the dull side up until now." Ulysses said as he slashed the rope off. Millianna yelped as she stumbled forward. Now with full control regained, Ulysses could defend against a sudden attack from one of the others. She had changed into a cat outfit and Ulysses blocked her claw attack.

"Mira, now!" Lisanna shouted as she struggled against Ulysses. He easily overpowered her and kicked her away in time to evade another strike. A blast of dark magic destroyed a part of the road stonework where Ulysses had been standing. He looked up to see the other woman flying above him and she had taken on a demonic form.

"Shit… are you trying to capture or- FUCK!" Ulysses cursed as he was tripped by Millianna's rope again. He sliced it off again and rolled out of the way as Lisanna pounced on him. He managed to get up and summon a shield in time for Mira's magic attack to hit it and send him flying into a building. With his ears ringing, Ulysses clambered his way out of the building and immediately had to evade another attack from one of the women. He exchanged his long sword for an arming sword and sliced Millianna's rope out of the air. He dropped down and caught Lisanna on his shield, slamming her into a wall. But she clung to his shield, forcing him to drop it in favor of rolling out of the way of Mira's magic attack. He summoned another arming sword and sliced off another rope that caught his right arm. He rolled out of the way of another blast from Mira and parried Lisanna's claw slash. He swung his other sword for her head, but her cat-suit came with serious advantage as she easily ducked his attack and slashed five claws into his left leg. Ulysses grunted as he dropped to one knee and his left arm was caught by another of Millianna's ropes. He sliced it off but not before Mira unleashed a far more powerful attack.

_**"Soul Extinctor!" **_Mira shouted as she let off an enormous blast of dark magic. Ulysses rammed his swords into the stone and took the attack head on. He screamed as the power enveloped him and blew apart the street he was on. He collapsed into the crater and his swords clattered to the ground next to him. For the first time in a long time, he felt the pain of being struck by a magic attack.

_Damn… that fuckin hurt… fighting three mages without my magic is really hard… _Ulysses thought as he slowly got up. But his small spell of rest ended when Lisanna jumped into the crater and pinned him down, her claws dug deep into his shoulders and he cried out. Ulysses felt his adrenaline pump in and he pulled his legs under Lisanna, kicking her off and jumping back to his feet. His shirt disintegrated as he jumped back out onto the street and re-summoned his swords. The silvery key about his neck glinted as he charged after Lisanna as she recovered. His onslaught of slashes forced her to dodge and defend, but some of his blows landed true and left her with several cuts. Ulysses then kicked her down the road and slashed away another of Millianna's ropes. The cuts on his leg slowly healed as he rushed Millianna and whipped one of his swords at her. She cried out as the handle of his sword cracked against her head and she collapsed from the force of his throw. Ulysses then rolled out of the way of another of Mira's magic shots. He dropped his sword when he landed and summoned a longbow and started flinging arrows at Mira. She blasted some out of the air and dodged others.

"You bastard! Take this!" Mira yelled as she unleashed another powerful attack. Ulysses dropped his bow and summoned one of his few magic items.

_**"ReQuip: Northern Ward!" **_Ulysses shouted as he summoned a mirror coated round shield. Mira's attack connected with his shield and reflected it back at her in an instant. She screamed as her own magic hit her and she fell out of the air, hitting a rooftop. Ulysses lowered his shield and checked the streets for his foes. Lisanna was struggling to get up while Erza, Kagura, and Millianna were all knocked out. Mira soon recovered and floated back up into the air. But before anymore fighting happened, it started raining. Ulysses felt his instincts flare up and he raised his shield again as a blast of water struck him. He grunted and dug his feet into the stone as the water blast continued. Ulysses managed to glance around his shield to see a woman under an umbrella controlling the torrent of water. He looked up to see Mira charging another attack while he was preoccupied. His shield cracked along the edge.

_Shit, if I don't do something I'm a dead man. _Ulysses thought. He started to turn his shield just enough so the torrent of water pushed him out of its own path. He swapped Northern Ward out for another round shield and started running alongside the buildings. He rolled out of the way of Mira's next attack and blocked a whip of water from the woman with the umbrella.

"Juvia! Catch him!" Mira shouted to the blue haired woman. She nodded and her water whip fell into the puddles. Ulysses prepared himself and summoned a spear in his hand. He kept moving and charged Juvia. She watched him approach and was surprised when he threw his spear and summoned a xiphos right away. But Ulysses stopped his approach when the spear simply glided through Juvia as though she was formless. He dropped to one knee and blocked a powerful magic blast from Mira.

_She's ethereal!? My spear did nothing! _Ulysses thought as he dodged a wave of blade-like water from Juvia. His instincts kicked in and he ducked as Lisanna jumped him from behind. She landed and hissed at him. Her wounds were bleeding, but she still stood strong. Ulysses growled in annoyance as he was flanked by Mira and Juvia readied another water attack.

_This would've been easy with my magic… but I swore... I'd never use that dammed power. _Ulysses thought as he slowly turned to regard each of his foes. He noticed Erza and Kagura were starting to recover. His chance of winning slowly dwindling as the odds were now stacked against him. The two swordswomen were quick to shake off their injuries and rejoin their comrades.

"We've got you now, give up!" Mira yelled as she launched another attack. Ulysses tried to dodge but he was suddenly slammed into the ground by an invisible force. Mira's attack connected and smashed him further into the stonework. Ulysses grunted in pain as he tried to push himself off the ground, but another attack from Juvia slammed him into the ground again. The force got stronger on him and he soon noticed Kagura casting a spell with her free hand.

_Gravity Magic? Shit… _Ulysses thought as Erza slowly approached him. Mira landed next to him, a spell charged in her hand. Ulysses felt the air slowly being pushed out of him by the heightened gravity. Despite the pressure, he managed to get up and breathe again, but he let the gravity pin his weapon and shield to the ground. It soon let up as he raised his hands up in surrender.

"Finally… tie him up." Erza said, procuring a rope. Mira nodded and reached for Ulysses' hands. As soon as she gripped his wrist he reacted. He jumped up, kicking Mira's leg out and wrapping the rope around her neck. Erza tried to hit him but even with one hand he caught her wrist, twisting it and forcing her to drop her sword. He then delivered a powerful kick to her torso that sent her flying towards Kagura who tried to catch Erza. The swordswomen crashed into each other and tumbled across the ground while Ulysses choked Mira out. She soon passed out from a lack of oxygen as the recovered Lisanna pounced and tried to attack Ulysses, but he re-summoned his xiphos and deflected her attack. He released the passed out Mira and rolled away, picking his shield up along the way to deflect Juvia's water whip. Lisanna attacked again but Ulysses blocked her and tossed his sword up, forgoing it in favor of engaging her in hand to hand. He dodged her next few strikes before landing a blow to her torso, forcing her to double over so he could crack her in the head with his shield. With Lisanna out, Ulysses caught his sword and blocked a flurry of water attacks from Juvia. He then charged her, dodging her attacks as he ran and blocking her whip. She soon fired off a huge torrent of water which Ulysses slid underneath, using the slick stone to his advantage. But as soon as he reached Juvia she encased him in a bubble of water.

_**"Water Lock!" **_Juvia said as she caught Ulysses in her trap. He struggled to swing his sword at her but failed miserably as the water kept him encapsulated. He glanced back to see Erza and Kagura rushing towards him. He had to escape. His breath was running thin and the edges of his vision started to blur. He had one more trick up his sleeve.

_**"ReQuip: Surtur's Wrath!" **_Ulysses shouted underwater with the last of his breath. He summoned forth a huge greatsword that was on fire. With what strength he could muster against the water he stabbed the blade into the ground and it unleashed a huge explosion of fire, evaporating all of the water around him. Juvia was blown away by the fireball and Ulysses was left gasping for air. But his recovery was cut short as both Erza and Kagura engaged him with their swords. He blocked both of their attacks and Erza's swords slowly melted against his. The wrapping on Kagura's sword lit on fire and they both disengaged.

_**"ReQuip: Sea Empress!" **_Erza yelled, and suddenly Ulysses regretted bringing forth his most powerful sword. Erza shifted into a green 'armor' with a bluish sword in her hand. She attacked and when Ulysses blocked her, the flames on his swords started being put out by Erza's sword. He broke the block and swung, unleashing a massive wave of fire at her. Erza swung her own sword and canceled out his attack with a wave of water.

"Well fuck." Ulysses sighed as he hefted his sword. While he was strong, Surtur's Wrath was clearly meant to be wielded by an enormous being. It was nearly twice as long as he was tall. The unwieldy blade made fighting harder. And it seemed his foes detected this as Kagura cast her magic once again.

_**"Gravity Change!" **_Kagura called. The gravity affecting Ulysses soon strengthened and he was forced to drop Surtur's Wrath. The blade melted into the stone until he forced it back into his pocket dimension. The pressure even forced him to drop to his knees and hold himself up by his hands. He managed to look up as Erza held her blade to his neck.

"Unless you have any more tricks up your sleeve, give up." Erza demanded. Ulysses looked into her eye. Her glare was stern but held no violence. No hatred for him. She lacked the eyes of a killer. The sunken, distant look that were indications of their eyes having personally seen to another's death. Ulysses stared back with those eyes. The eyes who saw to the deaths of hundreds of men over the course of his twenty two years of life. Erza was visibly shaken by the look in his eye. He smiled.

"I suppose so."

Erza, unnerved by his visage, knocked Ulysses out cold with the pommel of her sword.

* * *

_Sometime Later…_

Ulysses awoke in a dimly lit room with his hands bound behind a chair and his ankles tied together. It was a very nice room and had a single window to his right. The sun was setting behind the lavender curtains and the small light above his head glowed yellow. His coat was laid on the table in front of him but he was still missing his shirt that had been shredded in the fight with the wizards. He remembered the struggle and how he was forced to give up when all of his efforts had been thwarted. The rope that now bound him was the same one used by one of those wizards. He cursed the Golden Skull for their trickery. But as he made sure his key necklace was still intact, the door to his room was opened. He sighed as several familiar figures entered.

"Ah, he's awake. Hello there, mister super soldier. I'm Ultear Milkovich, guild master of Mermaid Heel. I hear you were quite an opponent for my girls." Ultear, a buxom, black haired woman with villainous eyes and a dark bodysuit said as she headed the group of women. Ulysses took a moment to appreciate the fact that each of the women currently either glaring or scowling at him were absolutely gorgeous. There were a few he did not recognize, like Ultear, who stood just off to her right. One had pink hair, a different white haired woman apart from Mira and Lisanna, and a dark haired woman with a haughty demeanor to her. A blonde, busty woman also poked in behind Erza and Kagura. Ulysses realized he should answer Ultear.

"I guess. So, why aren't you turning me over to the assassins that hired you to catch me?" Ulysses wondered as he casually kicked his boots up onto the table. Ultear knocked his feet down and glared at him. Ulysses frowned at the denial of his relaxation. He poked at the back of his waistband. His smile returned.

"I'll be asking the questions. First, who are you?" Ultear demanded. The question was a sketchy one to answer. He could either lie a little, lie a lot, or be wholly truthful. He decided on a mixture of withholding truth while also speaking it.

"Well, my enemies call me Platinum. My friends used to call me Otter. And the rest of Ishgar knows me as Hephaestus. But you can call me Ulysses. Ulysses Ottoman." Ulysses said and winked. He grinned as some of the girls seemed unnerved by his attitude. His happiness was always because everyone underestimated him at all turns. Whether out of ignorance or out of arrogance, it did not matter. Bluestone thought he was invincible. And he ended up dead. Ultear was quiet before speaking again.

"That explains much. Hephaestus, master blacksmith and swordsman from Caelum. I'm guessing that's how you managed to fend off and even knock out six of my strongest mages with little more than a couple of weapons and your skills?" Ultear wondered as she picked his coat up. She searched the pockets and found several of his backup knives in them. Eight knives in total were easily accessible in his coat. The daggers sewn into the lining were easy to draw, but not easy to remove. Ultear removed the two daggers from his coat as well. Ten small arms were present in his coat at all times. Thirteen on his person. Ulysses shrugged. She made him sound far more formidable than he actually was.

"Well, I guess so. If the redhead and Miss sheathed sword hadn't been so reckless then I might've had a hard time." Ulysses said with a grin. Erza and Kagura both shot him a glare but were mesmerized by his daggers.

"This quality is amazing. And look here, Hephaestus's seal. Master, these blades are the real deal. I think we may actually be dealing with the Forge Master himself." Erza said as she handed the dagger to Ultear. The guild master examined the instrument and tested its edge against a rope Erza summoned to test it herself. The edge of the blade glided through the rope as though it did not exist. Ulysses smiled with satisfaction.

"Oh yeah. I don't spare any expense when making my own weapons. Each of those knives could slice you in two if they had to. Goes through bone a little harder than rope or flesh, but it gets the job done." Ulysses explained as everyone focused on him. Soon enough the women who fought him had wide eyes and dropped jaws. The realization of his words hit them quickly.

"S-So… you could have killed any of us, had you the chance?" Kagura wondered with terrified eyes. Ulysses shrugged.

"If I had to." Ulysses said simply. Kagura slowly set his dagger down on the table and took a step behind Erza. The other girls were just as shocked and scared as her. Even Ultear seemed in relief and utter surprise.

"I'm happy you spared my girls, Hephaestus. But onto my other questions… why are you here, in Fiore? And what lead to that bloodbath by the gates last week? The flyer for your bounty said you were responsible." Ultear said, setting his dagger down. Ulysses sighed and let his head lay back on the wooden seat he was tied to.

"Well, I'm in Fiore because I was heading towards Iceberg. And from Iceberg I needed to go to Nordland. And before you ask why, see this key on my necklace?" Ulysses asked as he glanced down at his key. Ultear nodded.

"What's this have to do with killing almost thirty men?" Ultear asked. Ulysses clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"I was getting to that. Anyway, this key needs to be destroyed. It's what those men were after, and believe me, they're the bad guys. I'm betting anything they're the ones behind the flyer. They're scared of me. Not sure of what I'm capable of. They're under orders from a psychotic murder cult from the Far East that wants a little bit of treasure, a little bit of immortality, and the whole goddamn world, and this key is what'll get them all of that. Now, if you don't believe me, then I don't know what else I can say." Ulysses explained curtly. He withheld the majority of the truth, but that also made him less believable. But he had to consider what was more believable. Ultear carefully dissected his words. He expected her to simply ignore what he said and hand him over to his enemies. It would certainly be a swift conclusion. But in Ulysses' experience, swift conclusions were about as common as Dragons.

"Hmm… that's so unbelievable I almost believe it. But why would a cult be after you, a master blacksmith? For a simple key?" Ultear wondered as she contemplated the scenario. Ulysses groaned and slumped in his chair.

"Look, Miss, believe it or not, it doesn't matter because I'll either be proven right, or die trying. So let me tell you this. We can end this in one of three ways. One, you hand me over, collect your meager reward, and leave me to die and cause the end of the free world. Two, you can let me go and I'll go fucking melt this magical key in the Ivaldi Forge. Or, three, you can help me stop three of the strongest empires from the Far East from taking over the world." Ulysses said. He was deathly serious. Those were the only options he saw, other than making a suicidal attempt to escape a wizard guild by breaking free and fighting his way out. He still never wanted to use _that _power. Ultear narrowed her eyes incredulously and contemplated his words.

"Hmm… you're serious. I can't figure out if you're really good at lying, or telling the truth. I need to think on this. Everyone, let's go. Minerva, would you guard Hephaestus?" Ultear asked to the dark haired woman off to the side. She nodded and smiled wickedly as everyone left the room. Ulysses was stuck with the seemingly uptight and arrogant woman who proceeded to examine his knives.

"So… Is this some sort of girls-only guild? Because I haven't smelled or heard anything that reminds me of a man since I've been in this building." Ulysses wondered as Minerva played with his knife. She stuck it in the table and walked around it to face him. She leaned down and smiled.

"You're perceptive, aren't you? I had that feeling when they drug you in here by your boots. There's something different about you. Lots and lots of magic power… but Erza said you summoned so many weapons and even magical ones… yet your magic is still overflowing. And your eyes, they glow. And that light above you… it doesn't have any magic charging it. No gas either. It's lit up all by itself. I wonder why…?" Minerva said as she looked Ulysses over. His tanned skin was scraped up from his earlier conflict and his bare chest heaved as he grew nervous. She was picking up on the minuscule details of his power. Ones he could normally hide from most people. Ones that were usually ignored. And if she could do it, so could Ultear and some of the others.

_The soldiers and assassins on my trail would never figure it out, since most of them aren't wizards. But these women, they'll find out I'm more than just a swordsman who can use a little Spatial Magic. I need to be careful not to use it, though. Never. _Ulysses thought. He knew that Minerva could see his desperation on his features. Her malicious grin was enough evidence of that. She knew, that he knew, that she was onto him.

"Listen fast, 'cause I'll only say it once. Don't dig into things you know nothing about. You'll soon find out that they'll _burn _you." Ulysses hissed at her. Minerva scoffed and leaned back on the table. She smiled a cruel, wicked smile.

"Your speech was very interesting. Empires, world domination, immortality, all very intriguing subjects. And this key of yours… it's related? Why would you destroy such an important object?" Minerva asked. She eyed the key on his chest with eyes reminiscent of that of a greedy nobleman. He knew her eyes too well. Far too many fools had died with those same thoughts in their mind as were now forming in hers.

"I can see why Ultear left you to guard me. Should I break free and kill someone, she certainly wouldn't be losing much." Ulysses said, venom dripping from his words. Minerva's visage twisted to rage and she slammed her hand against his throat. But first mistakes often became last mistakes with Ulysses. He pulled his left arm free and gripped her wrist with his immense strength. Minerva was stunned as he twisted her arm off and pulled his other hand out. His right hand held one of his thirteen knives. He pressed the edge to her throat and forced her onto the table. He released her wrist, now having her at death's edge, and picked up one of his other knives. He threw it at his feet and released his ankles with the blade.

"You and your guild must be amateurs at political subterfuge and capturing hostages. You didn't even search my waistband or my boots for the other three knives I keep on me. Now look at where it's gotten you. At my fuckin mercy…" Ulysses said as he pulled Minerva off the table and slammed her against the wall. She stared at him, a mixture of anger and pure fear in her eyes. Ulysses chuckled as he summoned a blackjack in his other hand. And with a simple swing of the blunt device he knocked Minerva unconscious, letting her fall to the floor with a thud. Ulysses then immediately set to gathering his stuff. Once he had summoned another shirt, the same as his last but navy blue, and put his coat on, he turned his attention to the window. He moved Minerva's form away from it and kindly laid her on the table. He was at least decent for being a killing machine. But right as he went back to the window, an explosive device was cast through the glass.

_Fuck._

* * *

"Master, he's dangerous. If what he says is true, then maybe we should turn him in to the kingdom." Mirajane suggested as they stood in the main hall of their guild. Ultear shook her head at Mirajane's words.

"Dangerous, yes. But if that is true, then it could put the kingdom in danger of those assassins and empires he spoke of. They might be as powerful as he says." Ultear said, disputing the idea. The majority of the guild members were gathered around, listening to the debate. Erza just had to drag Hephaestus into the guildhall and brandish him like a trophy. Speaking of female knights.

"I don't think he's lying. Those blades are definitely made by Hephaestus. He could have bought them, but he certainly fights too well to have bought them. He wielded all of his armaments like they were extensions of himself. Right, Kagura?" Erza said. Kagura nodded, confirming Erza's words. The guildhall erupted in murmurs. Most of their words were useless gossip and muffled the sound of breaking glass.

"Wait, did anyone else hear that?" Wendy, a small, blue haired girl wondered. Her guild mates ignored her. But they simply could not ignore the powerful explosion that rocked their hall and sent pieces of wall flying across their debate circle. A shape came flying from the blast and crashed into the ground in a heap. From the dust rose a figure holding up an unconscious woman. Ultear was alarmed to see Minerva in the arms of the very topic of their debate. He held a large tower shield in his other hand, blackened from the explosion.

"Hephaestus!"

* * *

Ulysses coughed as he hefted Minerva and handed her off to a very shocked Erza. He swapped his shield out for his bastard sword and with a powerful swing he blew away the dust cloud. It revealed a large group of women around him and a huge hole in the wall he was just sent flying through. He spotted a red masked man with a saber standing in the hole. The Golden Skull had grown impatient it seemed. But he was Ulysses' responsibility. Not the women of Mermaid Heel's. The assassin jumped down and landed in the circle with him.

"Everyone get back! I'll handle this fucker…" Ulysses said as he gave his sword a spin. He threw his coat off and readied himself as he and his foe started circling each other. The girls of the guild backed up and started retreating, some screaming in fear and others crying from the sudden shockwave. They started taking cover and Ulysses felt some relief.

"Oh, concerned for these fools, Platinum? You amuse me. And here I thought the man that killed my brother was a ruthless killer. Turns out, not so much!" the red masked man laughed as he brandished his saber. Ulysses cracked a grin. This man was even worse than Bluestone.

"Oh, I've no qualms about ending your pathetic existence. But these ladies needn't be harmed in the destruction of another Golden Skull idiot." Ulysses taunted. The red masked man howled in laughter.

"I like you! You're crazy! I love killing crazy fools like you! I am Redstone, and you killed my brother. Now I'm going to kill you, in the name of Ishtar! Die, Ottoman scum!" Redstone shouted, rushing Ulysses with reckless abandon. They clashed several times and Ulysses broke through his defense to land a cut on his chest. Redstone laughed maniacally.

"You should not have done that! Pain makes me stronger!" Redstone cackled as he rushed Ulysses. They clashed again, and Ulysses parried his attacks with ease. Redstone was less composed than Bluestone had been and his attacks were easy to deflect. But when Ulysses landed another blow, slicing open Redstone's leg, the man just laughed again. His insane fighting style became even more erratic and almost unpredictable. It seemed he became more rabid the more pain he felt. Ulysses need to end him. He caught Redstone's sabre and pushed it away with his cross guard. He then disengaged his sword and spun on his heel, delivering a slash to Redstone's sword arm that lobbed it off. Redstone laughed again.

"Go ahead! Do it again!" Redstone yelled as he charged again. Ulysses dodged away from his repeated attempts at grabbing him. Blood spewed from his stump, but it did not seem to both the psychotic man. Ulysses managed to side step him and get behind Redstone. But before the man could turn around, Ulysses flipped his sword around, holding it by the blade as he smashed the guard into Redstone's head. The man had turned his face just enough for his mask to shatter upon impact. What was behind the mask was more terrifying than the mask had been. Redstone's face was melted down to the bone and the only untouched flesh was his eyes. His nose, lips, and ears were gone. Ulysses decided to end the man's pitiful existence as Redstone dropped to his knees. With a flip, flourish, and a swing, Ulysses decapitated Redstone and his jugulars squirted blood all over the floor as he collapsed onto the marble. His disgusting head rolled to a stop at Ultear's feet. Ulysses whipped the blood off his sword and the blade vanished with a flash.

"Fuckin psychopath…" Ulysses cursed as he nudged Redstone's corpse with his boot. He sighed tiredly as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Slowly but surely the whole of the guild gathered around Ulysses and his most recent kill. Ultear carefully stepped over Redstone's head and approached Ulysses.

"Well… that certainly proves something. And it looks like you saved Minerva's life… Though I suspect you knocked her out in the first place. How did you escape your bonds?" Ultear wondered, avoiding the puddled of blood pooling at their feet. Ulysses could not help but grin despite the dead man before him. He pulled out one of his many knives.

"You found ten out of the thirteen blades I keep on me at all times. This one I keep in the back of my waistband. Two others are in my boots. I suppose this is lesson learned, huh? But that aside, do you believe me now?" Ulysses asked as he kicked Redstone's corpse again. The dead assassin squirted some more blood. Ultear held back the urge to gag, unlike many of her compatriots who straight up ran off to puke or did gag at the sight. The heavy scent of blood in the air made it hard to breathe.

"I do. This man clearly came here to do something malicious, and did not care who he killed to accomplish it. You also spared my girls and saved another one from certain death, so I think you're owed your freedom at the very least." Ultear said, still somewhat distrustful of him. Ulysses nodded and glanced over at Minerva who was still in Erza's care. Erza herself was staring at him with a mixture of shock and anger.

"Thanks. I'll get out of here before any more of them show up." Ulysses said and retrieved his coat. He put it on and headed for the doors of the hall. But he was stopped when a sword stuck itself in his path. He turned to regard a very upset Erza who glared at him. Gasps and murmurs erupted from the girls of the guild. Ultear herself was even surprised.

"What… What gives you the right… to kill? To say when someone should die? What gives you the right to take the life of another person!?" Erza shouted, trembling as she summoned another sword. Ulysses sighed and turned to face her. It had appeared to him that he had angered someone who believed strongly in the value of life. Ulysses could not stand idealists.

"What gives me the right? Nothing. Listen fast, Erza, that fucking assassin would have killed me, you, and everyone in this FUCKING GUILD HALL if I didn't cut him down first! Now try to imagine for a fucking second, imagine seeing everyone you loved and cared for bleeding to death on this very same floor! He knew nothing but murder! I… I value life just as much as you do… maybe even more. I've seen men die for less. Killed men for less. But never have I once reveled in it. Not once, not ever. Nothing is perfect. Don't live in a dream, they always get shattered by reality." Ulysses explained, his voice stern, commanding, and wavering ever so slightly. He looked down at Redstone's corpse. The visage behind the mask haunted his eyes once more. Not only because of the psychotic eyes he had, but because he was now another death weighted against Ulysses' soul. His words cast silence over the guild.

"Hephaestus…" Ultear said softly to him. Ulysses glanced at her, his eyes cold and daunting. The guild master flinched. She stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. She could tell. Ulysses knew when he was showing his emotions. Ultear seemed to read them well.

"If I never aimed to kill my enemies whenever I picked up my sword, I'd be dead by now. But when you and your friends attacked me, I knew you weren't going to kill me. You could have put that sword through my back and killed me on the spot. So I showed you the same courtesy. And here you are now, accusing me of being a cold hearted murderer. I don't kill. I survive." Ulysses said quietly. His gravelly voice shredding the silence. Erza trembled and dropped to her knees, still holding up the unconscious Minerva. Ulysses stepped away from Ultear and approached Erza. He placed two fingers on Minerva's neck.

_She's still alive. I guess I did manage to cover her from the explosion. _Ulysses thought. He sighed in relief and stood up. But a sudden, shooting pain in his side made him cringe and double over. He looked down at his abdomen and saw large shards of wood lodged in his left side. Minerva had naught but a few scratches on her. But it seemed his shield had not been enough to stop himself from getting injured. He felt woozy and noticed the blood starting to stain his jeans.

"U-Ulysses?" Erza said. But he did not listen to her. He felt his heart pump again, the last of his adrenaline flowed through him before an intense pain hit him. It was enough to drop him on the ground, cold and unconscious. The last thing he heard were screams.

* * *

**This so happens to be the third iteration of a story I started a long while ago. I feel like this time it came out in a way I wanted it to. If I'm going to leave it up or continue it, then I hope to see some positive feedback.**

**Thanks Guys.**

**See you next time with Bonds.**


	2. Full Investment

Chapter Two

Full Investment

Ulysses slowly regained consciousness and found himself comfortably tucked into a warm bed. He was unbound and freely removed himself from the bed. He recognized the style and furnishing of the room he was in. Several other beds and curtains were in the room, along with various medical supplies, indicating that he was in an infirmary of sorts. The draperies around the window had no light hitting them from the outside and according to Ulysses' internal clock, it was almost midnight. He shook off his grogginess and noticed his abdomen was bandaged, and his shirt, coat, and boots were missing. The lights were out but Ulysses could always rely on his glowing eyes to see perfectly in the dark. Just as he was beginning to regain his bearings, the door to the infirmary opened and light poured in.

"Oh, you're up. I'm not surprised… seeing as how your wounds were healing so quickly." A small, blue-haired girl said as she entered the room. A small white cat followed her in and shut the door for her. She cautiously approached Ulysses with a warm bucket of water and a clean cloth. Ulysses smiled, trying his best to ease her nerves.

"My, you surely are something else. Well, Wendy? Don't just stand there." The white cat said. Ulysses was bewildered by the notion that the cat talked. Wendy blushed and nodded as she set the bucket down and retrieved a chair. She sat down in front of Ulysses and gestured to his bandages.

"C-Can I change your bandages?" Wendy asked nervously. Ulysses nodded and lifted his arms so she could reach them. Wendy fumbled with the cloth for a moment before she managed to undo the wrap. Her tiny hands were chilly against his skin and Ulysses grinned at her overly embarrassed expression. But she gasped when his bandages fell and his wounds were nowhere to be found. They had healed over relatively perfectly. Ulysses was impressed every time he healed without a scar. His enhanced healing factor was less amazing to him than it was to anyone who witnessed it.

"Carla, look… He healed completely since I applied my magic and the bandages. Wow…" Wendy said in awe. Her white cat hopped up on the bed and looked over where Ulysses' wounds used to be. He chuckled and tried petting Carla, who promptly swatted his hand away.

"Ah damn… and here I thought I was dreaming of a talking cat. That's weird." Ulysses said, now understanding that Carla was entirely real. The cat huffed and crossed her arms.

"Well, you're not dreaming!" Carla growled. Ulysses chuckled and slowly got up. He stretched and summoned another shirt onto his body along with his boots. Wendy worriedly ran after him as he began searching for his coat.

"Um, Mister Hephaestus, please don't leave yet. Master Ultear wants to talk to you." Wendy said as she caught his pant leg. Ulysses looked down at her and grinned as he picked his coat off a rack and threw it on. He found his gloves and all his knives inside. He put his gloves on and checked himself once again.

"Don't worry, kid. I'm not going anywhere yet. I need to gather my thoughts and find a way north." Ulysses said, patting Wendy on the head. She blushed but pouted at him.

"I-I'm an adult, an eighteen-year-old adult! Not a kid!" Wendy whined as she bopped her fists against his leg. Ulysses crouched down and looked her over with a scrutinizing eye.

"Really? You're so tiny, though. Maybe your growth spurt was delayed for some reason." Ulysses said. Despite being so low to the ground, Ulysses still seemed to tower over Wendy. She was so small that Ulysses' hand was nearly bigger than her head. But as he examined her, Carla walked over and stabbed her claw into his knee.

"Hey, hands off! She is still a lady." Carla scolded as she tried scratching him again. Ulysses held his hands up in surrender and backing towards the door. Little moments of time where Ulysses could appreciate fine details had become rare to him. Being chased for two years undoubtedly leaves little time for fun. But Ulysses opened the infirmary door and stepped out into the hall where Wendy and Carla followed him.

"As much as I would like to chat some more, would you mind showing me the way to your guild master?" Ulysses asked as the door closed. Wendy nodded and pointed down the hall behind him.

"Her office is down here. The other direction is… well… a bit missing." Wendy said. Ulysses looked down the hall in the opposite direction and saw where he was flung through the wall earlier.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Bastard surprised me." Ulysses sighed. The scale of the destruction was looking relatively expensive. It chilled him to the bone thinking about paying for his enemy's irresponsibility and chaos. He again cursed the Golden Skull for their careless misdeeds and followed Wendy down the hallway. As he walked, Ulysses picked up on voices whispering his name, or one of his names, throughout the building. It seemed that the guildhall was also a home for many of these women. And as he neared a large wooden door near the end of the hall, he picked up on several, much louder voices.

"He attacked me! Why the hell are we helping him!?" an ear-grating voice yelled from beyond the door. It must have been Minerva complaining about him. Ulysses glanced down at Wendy with a sheepish grin and a shrug. She shared his nervous sentiment. But before Ulysses even reached the door it burst open to reveal a fuming Minerva. She spotted him instantly and stalked forward. Wendy nervously backed away.

"You! I don't know why we even bothered saving your sorry ass, but I hope you get out of here and soon. I don't want to see you ever again." Minerva growled as she got in Ulysses' face. While Minerva was beautiful, he could not stand someone so incredibly selfish and glared at her.

"Tell that to the next person who saves you from certain death." Ulysses retorted and simply walked past her. Minerva was stunned silent and left to boil in her own anger. Wendy quickly disappeared as Ulysses entered the office and spotted Ultear sitting at a large desk. Papers were scattered about the office in huge piles and Ultear was rubbing the stress from her temples.

"Ah, Hephaestus, good… I couldn't stand Minerva's whining any longer. Please, sit." Minerva said, gesturing to the seat across from her. Ulysses gladly accepted the chair and kicked back in it. His laidback demeanor was nothing short of a relief for Ultear as she smiled and laid back in her chair as well.

"Is she the only one complaining? I thought there might've been a queue when I woke up." Ulysses joked. Ultear laughed all too tiredly at him. It seemed to Ulysses that he was not quite wrong in that regard. Usually his offensiveness and disregard for most institutions and rules led to him being the center of annoyance for many.

"If she were the only one complaining, then this evening would have been much nicer. But most of the girls don't like men, and were very adamant about wanting you just cast out into the street. Luckily our resident healer and sweetheart had already started attending to your wounds… after that, most of the objections died out. Except Minerva. Seems you really embarrassed her." Ultear explained tiredly. Ulysses shrugged.

"If her ego were any bigger it'd make her boobs look small." Ulysses jested with a wry smile. Ultear cracked up laughing and slapped her desk. His endless ability to insult and demean was always alive and well. Even in dire situations. Or even when he was being tracked by three different empires and they were all starting wars.

"I feel bad for laughing, but it is true. I fear for her. She's like I was, rude, vile, and sometimes downright cruel… But that's beside the point of why I wanted to see you. How was your rest?" Ultear asked, shifting the conversation. Ulysses raised his shirt to reveal his scar-less wound had healed over. Ultear was somewhat surprised by his condition. Ulysses himself, however, took note of Ultear's trivial mention of her past self.

"Interesting. Completely healed. Wendy had mentioned your wounds had healed well when she treated you. Well, I suppose that means you'll be heading out, right?" Ultear asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice. Ulysses rubbed his chin and kicked back on his chair.

"Hmm, yes and no. I need to figure out how deep my enemies have dug their heels here. I was hoping to get to Nordland as fast as possible, but since that incident at the gate stopped me, and then the invasion and getting my ass kicked… Basically I'm back to square one. I need to reconsider my options. And since no one is dumb enough to sail near Nordland, I need to get there on foot." Ulysses explained. Despite his casual demeanor, Ulysses was deeply concerned by the unknown trail that lay ahead of him.

"I heard that someone invaded Fiore from a neighboring country. Another one of your 'friends'?" Ultear asked with a crude grin.

"Yeah," Ulysses said with a sigh. "The Hittites. The smallest of the three but also the most impulsive and ruthless. They've probably already torn half the countryside apart just looking for me." He remembered seeing the Hittite forces. They had already been in a battle before clashing with the Assyrians.

"Seems you're a very important man… Hmm, Hephaestus, you're more than welcome to stay here while your enemies flounder in their search of you." Ultear offered suddenly. In an instant, Ulysses went from relaxed to suspicious. He was still a foreigner. He knew of not one person in Fiore he could trust. He certainly was not going to fall into a trap.

_What's she pulling? A stranger walks into town, kicks the shit out of your subordinates and then you just want to help him? _Ulysses thought. He scanned the room and found nothing of interest. The guild master's office was clear, clean, and unimpressive aside from the furniture. And clean was a relative description. Ulysses did not count stacks of paper as clutter. He eyed Ultear. Looked deeply into her eyes. He saw a hint of mischief, but no malice.

"Why?" Ulysses asked cautiously. Ultear smiled and placed a piece of parchment on her desk. Ulysses recognized the insignia planted in the wax seal. But the seal had already been broken. And something was wrapped in the paper. She slid the parchment over and Ulysses warily opened it up. A long dagger rolled out, broken at the hilt.

_'Dear Miss Scarlet, your weapon, as requested, is enclosed in this package…' Wait, I remember this. I sent this out two years ago, a cruciform dagger that I wrapped for someone as a present. _Ulysses thought, wide-eyed as he looked over the dagger he had crafted. It pained him to see it in such a debilitated condition. The letter was in his handwriting. And the seal, his. A hammer crossed with a key.

"How the hell did you get this? I remember sending this off to Miss Scarlet two years ago… wait, don't tell me. ERZA!?" Ulysses exclaimed as the realization hit him. He remembered the request he had received with payment for the dagger currently in his hand. He pulled the document from his pocket dimension and found the signer, 'Erza Scarlet' in beautiful handwriting.

"Erza had you make that dagger as a gift for Kagura's birthday. But since it had your insignia it was stolen mid-shipment and got broken. But when she sent for you again, you had vanished from your previous address. She's kept it ever since, hoping to have it re-forged." Ultear explained, her tone soft and her eyes teary. Ulysses rolled the blade over in his hand. The edge was still psychotically sharp. His insignia was carved into the base of the blade and the handle.

"That's easy. I could re-forge a dagger in my sleep. So does this mean you're willing to help me against the Empires?" Ulysses asked, his suspicions still not sated.

"I see no other way. Until things calm down, it seems you're a bit stuck. So, if you don't mind being surrounded by women twenty-four-seven, then you can stay here, Hephaestus. But, I'd like to think of it as an investment…" Ultear said with a mischievous smile. And there was the notion that had kept Ulysses' suspicions raised.

"An… investment?" Ulysses wondered. Ultear's smile widened as she pulled out a key and handed it to him. It had a room number attached to it, and a smaller key hung from the ring labeled 'Undercroft'. He felt a looming sense of doom and hope simultaneously.

"Yes. An investment for the future."

_What the fuck did I just get myself into?_

* * *

_The Next Morning…_

Erza arose early each morning, either to train with Kagura, her sister-like friend and comrade, or go out on a good job before someone swipes it. But today was a training day and she was dressed in her armor before the sun breached the sky. Though, despite her eagerness to train, she felt a strong, distracting curiosity in her. It regarded the fate of a famous swordsmith and infamous swordsman in one. But as she headed downstairs from her room in Mermaid Heel's guildhall and reached the door to the underground training center, a certain noise caught her ear's attention. It came from beyond the door. A loud pinging that repeated at a steady pace.

"Sis? Why're you standing out here?" Kagura asked as she approached. Erza turned and shushed her compatriot who then started listening with her. Kagura's eyes widened at the noise as she gripped her sword nervously.

"Someone's using the forge downstairs… I wonder… No, he probably ran away. Men aren't allowed here anyway… Master knows that…" Erza mumbled to herself. The noise persisted but was soon followed by a loud sizzling noise. She could not help herself. Curiosity took hold and Erza opened the Undercroft door. It was unlocked. An unusual occurrence, seeing as how the door was locked after midnight each night. The sisterly swordswomen descended the staircase into the depths of the basement of Mermaid Heel. When they reached the bottom, the lights in the arena were on, and the forge across the room was bright with orange fire. Erza stopped dead in her tracks. Standing before the forge, eyes bright green and focused, shirt nowhere to be found, and covered in sweat and determination was no one other than Hephaestus. The Forge Master himself. Ulysses Ottoman.

"Morning, Erza, Kagura. You two sleep well? Healed up?" Ulysses called across the chamber. His eyes had not moved from the orange steel in his tongs. Erza glanced at Kagura and the pair cautiously approached the forge.

"Um… Hephaestus," Erza started. Ulysses slammed down the blade he was working on and shot her an exasperated glare.

"Jeez, call me Ulysses. Hephaestus was just a cover name. I think we hit each other enough to call each other by our names, eh?" Ulysses wondered with a tired grin. He then began hammering the orange steel on the anvil. Sparks and dregs flew off of the steel with each powerful strike of the hammer in his hand.

"Okay… Ulysses, might I ask what you're still doing here?" Erza asked. The room was void of speech for a moment as Ulysses shaped the steel. He stopped for a moment and returned the blade to the forge. The cooling steel started heating again.

"Your guild master was kind enough to hide me until some of the mess I created blows over and I can move north. So, in return… I'm forging weapons and promised to help you girls on quests that require my skills." Ulysses explained. He brought the blade out of the forge and began hammering again. After a moment he was satisfied with the result and picked it up in his gloved hand. He moved it to a large tube in the floor filled with liquid and dunked the blade in, hanging it from a hook to sit in the tube. Ulysses removed his gloves and wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel. The heat from the forge carried out to the girls who were beginning to sweat as well. Erza _**ReQuipped **_a large shield to block the heat.

"Master Ultear… is letting you stay? But that's against the rules!" Kagura exclaimed. Erza agreed with her sentiment. She feared that their master had officially lost it. Ulysses chuckled and turned away to retrieve something. He walked out from the forge room with a folded red cloth.

"Rules, laws, kingdoms… I've broken them all. Don't worry. I'll be gone before you know it. But don't come begging for me to come back when you miss me." Ulysses jested as he handed Kagura the red-clothed object. She was bewildered at first but started unraveling the cloth as Ulysses went back to work. Erza watched as a familiar dagger came from the cloth and she gasped.

"That dagger… Did… did you fix it, Ulysses?" Erza wondered, staring in awe between the weapon and its maker. Ulysses grinned as he attended to the weapon he quenched.

"Yep, it was easy," Ulysses said as he pulled the sword out of the oil and wiped it down. "And, I couldn't rightly leave with my blacksmithing reputation ruined. That was supposed to be a birthday present, right?" Kagura turned to Erza with teary eyes.

"Sis… d-did you have this made for me?" Kagura wondered. Erza nodded as she too was overwhelmed with emotion. Kagura cried happily as the two hugged tightly. Erza glanced at Ulysses and saw him smiling as he wiped down the quenched sword.

His lips curled into a warm smile as he heard the two girls embrace behind him. Kagura's cries of joy warmed his heart and he felt Ezra's eyes on him. Sure, he was a deadly, annoying, and rude man who should have died long ago. But Ulysses still felt warmth in his heart. Especially since his work only reinforced a bond he sensed when he first met the pair who ended up taking him down. He most certainly heard how Kagura addressed Erza. They were sisters by trial, rather than blood. Ulysses set down the sword he was working on when Kagura approached him. She held the sheathed dagger close to her heart with her sword.

"Mr. Ottoman…" Kagura started. Ulysses took his glove off and gently bonked her on the head with it.

"My name is Ulysses. But if you like my family name, you can call me Otter." Ulysses said with a grin as Kagura pouted at him. But it wasn't long before a nervous smile graced her lips.

"Um… Ulysses, thank you." Kagura said simply. She fidgeted nervously. Ulysses waved her off.

"Ah, don't worry about it. My weapons don't normally break so easily, so I couldn't let such a disgrace exist. I reinforced the hilt and engraved the guard with your name. I didn't know what your last name was, so I put 'Kagura Scarlet'. I'd honestly think you two were sisters if… um, Kagura?" Ulysses trailed off as Kagura hung her head and sniffled. She suddenly jumped into him and threw her arms around his shoulders, which left her dangling from him. Ulysses froze up slightly and blushed. His years of solitude and lack of human contact left him somewhat unsure of what to do. But as Kagura's tears of pure happiness dripped onto his chest, he softened and patted her on the back.

"Thank you… I can't explain how much this means to me." Kagura mumbled as she let him go. Ulysses awkwardly rubbed his head and grinned. Kagura's scent lingered on him. He felt something start ablaze inside himself.

"Sure… no problem. Now go give it a test. Edge is still as sharp as the day I made it." Ulysses said, ushering her out of the forge. Kagura wiped her tears and rejoined Erza. The pair then ventured off into the underground training facility. Ulysses heard their murmurings, even from afar.

"I can't believe you just hugged him. I thought men disgusted you?"

"He's… not so bad."

Ulysses sighed as he took a seat on a stool by the workbench. His projects for the day were far from over but he needed a moment. Something was on fire. And it was not the forge.

_Wow… alright, she was really affectionate. Oh that isn't good. My body reacted to her. I must've suppressed it too long. But the legends say overuse is bad as well… Well fuck. This might've been a REALLY fuckin bad idea. A lone man amidst a guild of women… _Ulysses thought as he walked out of the forge and cooled off in the training field. He wiped his face with his towel and watched as a few other girls came downstairs. The scents in the building were really starting to get to him. It had gone from suffocating perfume to being able to pick out individual scents. He remembered Kagura's unique scent of steel and lavender. His blood boiled.

"What the-!? This guy is still here!?" Mira yelled from across the field. Ulysses sighed and turned back to the forge.

_Just ignore it and keep working… Ultear promised to settle any disputes. _Ulysses went back to cleaning up the sword he was working on. But as he worked the women of the guild started catching the whispers of him. They began gathering around the forge, watching him work with interest, confusion, and anger. Mira walked up to the forge and blocked his path to the grindstone.

"Hey, Hefa- Wait a minute, what's your name?" Mira wondered. Ulysses sighed.

"Ulysses Ottoman, Hephaestus… Guy that beat you up. Etcetera." Ulysses joked. Mira glared at him and crossed her arms. An action that accentuated her large bust. Ulysses felt himself fighting the urge to look the portion of her chest that her dress exposed. An urge he never seemed to have trouble controlling before.

"Wise-ass… What are you doing here?" Mira demanded. Ulysses grinned and gestured to the sword in his hand.

"Forging." He answered simply. But when he tried to step past Mira to reach the grindstone she reacted violently. A small burst of magic made Ulysses step back and set the sword down. Mira glared heatedly at him.

"I see that! But why the hell are you still in our guildhall? And after you humiliated me in the town square?" Mira demanded, stepping up to Ulysses. He felt his magic flare as she grew increasingly threatening.

"Now, now, everyone calm down. Mirajane," Ultear said as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Mira backed down. "Hephaestus is here under my care. We've come to an agreement and part of that agreement is that he's using the forge to make us some weapons. I'm sorry for her, Hephaestus, some of my girls are sticklers for the rules."

"Yeah… Um, could this crowd disperse? I like working in relative solitude if you don't mind." Ulysses said. Ultear nodded and shooed away the rest of the girls, leaving herself, a pink-haired girl Ulysses barely recognized, and Mirajane.

"Again, my apologies. Most of the girls haven't been around very many men. I'm sure you can understand." Ultear said with a small bow. Ulysses chuckled sadly. Her kind words had hit far too close to home. He picked up the work-in-progress sword and made it over to the grindstone.

_And I haven't been around women this much for over six years. Fuckin ditto. _Ulysses thought angrily as he began grinding off some of the excess slag leftover on the sword. He used a fine stone to put a shine on the blade.

"Master, what kind of wild idea did you come up with this time? He's not only dangerous, but isn't he like wanted in three countries?" Mira protested.

"Empires don't send armies and assassins after outlaws." Ulysses said as he finished grinding the blade. He wiped away any excess dust and went about polishing it with a fine cloth and some oil. Ultear pulled Mira out of the forge as she glared at him.

"Mira, dear, he won't be here long. Just until some of the mess following him blows over and he has a clear path up north. Plus, he'll be a good influence. I'm sure of it." Ultear explained to Mira. Ulysses silently laughed.

_Ha, "Good influence", that's fuckin rich. _Ulysses thought as he finished polishing the blade. He then set to work on attaching the upswept guard and put the sword in a vice.

"Hmm, fine. You are the guild master… but if he does anything… lewd or violent, I'm going to rip him in half." Mira said threateningly. She shot a glare at Ulysses who ignored it in favor of finishing the sword. She then huffed and walked away. Ultear sighed.

"She's a fiery one." Ulysses commented as he gently hammered the guard on. Ultear walked onto the forge floor, followed by the pink-haired girl. They watched Ulysses work for a few moments. Their watchful eyes became a distraction for Ulysses as he knocked the guard down too hard and it went on crooked. He cursed silently and set his tools down with an exasperated sigh.

"Have you been working since last night?" Ultear asked as Ulysses sat down to take a drink. He nodded as he drank and wiped the sweat from his head. He glanced back at the sword and glared at the crooked guard. But as he did so, Ultear's hand lit up with magic and the guard slowly fixed itself to a position before he had screwed it up.

"That's nifty." Ulysses commented. Ultear smiled and sat down across from him.

"Um, you do know I gave you a room. You can go sleep if you're tired…" Ultear said as she watched him. Her eyes flickered from his hands to his body and back to his eyes. Ulysses grew slightly uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Yeah… I don't need that much rest. Maybe a few hours a week at the most. It's a… condition." Ulysses explained. He needed to keep some secrets, for the safety of the masses. And he hoped that nobody started picking up on _that_ particular one.

"Oh, I see. In that case, if you're feeling up to it, I have a job for you. Well, technically it's one of the member's jobs, but she would like a companion and I think you'd be perfect." Ultear said with a happy clap. Ulysses sighed. It had been part of their agreement that he would help when she felt his presence was necessary.

"Ah… Alright, so who am I accompanying?" Ulysses asked. Ultear turned to the pink-haired girl.

"Meredy, would you mind going and getting Lucy? I don't think she's officially met Hephaestus yet." Ultear said. Meredy nodded and headed off back upstairs. Ulysses had to stop himself from watching her walk away. His eyes seemed to have a mind of their own. Ultear started smiling at him wickedly.

"Oh, Hephaestus… don't tell me… Are you ogling my girls?" Ultear asked, pushing her arms against her chest. Ulysses forced his eyes to focus on Ultear's eyes. She giggled and stopped pushing her chest up.

"N-No… I'm not an animal… It's natural… though… right?" Ulysses grumbled, cursing himself for being so careless. Ultear giggled, turning slightly and tugging on the edge of her skintight suit. The side of her breast nearly caught his eyes. She was screwing with him.

"It's hot by the forge… how do you stand it? I see you took your shirt off. You know, you're not bad looking. I'm betting the girls were eyeballing you just as bad…" Ultear said teasingly. Ulysses' eyes widened as he realized her words held some truth. He blushed at the thought and turned away. Ultear giggled.

"Oooh, big bad blacksmith has a soft spot, hmm? Don't be embarrassed…" Ultear trailed off. Ulysses heard her get up and she leaned over him. Her breath connected with his ear and he could feel the playful grin on her face.

"I'm not… I just didn't realize that was a possibility." Ulysses mumbled as he tried to calm down. Ultear's warm breath on his skin did not help. But when her sizeable chest pressed into his back he stiffened up.

"Um… Master…" Meredy said from across the room. Ultear got off of Ulysses and he breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever Ultear had been planning was thoroughly thwarted. Ulysses wiped himself off with his towel and summoned his shirt on. Meredy looked on in slight confusion, a sentiment shared by the busty blonde next to her.

"Ah, wonderful! Lucy, this is Hephaestus. You said you needed someone to help on your quest and I think he'll be perfect." Ultear said, introducing the two. Ulysses walked out of the forge floor past Lucy and picked his coat off of a stool. He threw it on and pulled his fingerless gloves on.

"Um, Master, are you sure I should take a man with me? And can I trust him?" Lucy wondered with concern. Ultear patted her head and pushed her over to Ulysses' side.

"It'll be alright! Just do your mission and he'll keep you safe! We have an agreement with him. And Hephaestus is really a nice fellow. Now, off you go! Bye-bye for now!" Ultear said as she started ushering them upstairs. Next thing Ulysses knew, he was stuck outside with Lucy and the guild doors slammed shut behind them. He looked out across Helios and Lucy turned to regard him.

"Aha… sorry about this. I didn't think Master would force you to tag along with me. Oh, I should introduce myself, properly! I'm Lucy Heartfilia, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Lucy said, holding out a hand to shake. Ulysses shook her hand gently.

"Ulysses Ottoman. Hephaestus is just an alias." Ulysses said.

"Ulysses… Ottoman? Like as in the Ottoman Empire?" Lucy wondered innocently. Ulysses could tell the girl before him was sharp. A bit sharper than he might have expected at first.

_I really do need to be careful. _"In a way, yeah. But that's not important. What's this job?" Ulysses asked. His abrupt change of subject made Lucy curious but she dropped the thought and unfolded a flyer from her satchel.

"It's a retrieval quest… For some sort of tracking device. The client posted a handsome reward, so I figured I could do it pretty easily. Shouldn't be much trouble. I can already see the stacks of Jewel…" Lucy trailed off. Her heart was set on the large reward on the poster. But Ulysses was curious about the stolen device described.

_An instrument that can lock onto powerful magical signals after absorbing some of the target's magic. It is a highly useful and invaluable invention, but the only prototype was stolen. _Ulysses grew more concerned as he looked into the finer details of the flyer. It was a relatively fresh piece of fine parchment and the handwriting was shaky, illegible even.

"Lucy," Ulysses started. Lucy stopped daydreaming about money and turned her attention to him. "When did this flyer go up? And from who?" Ulysses asked.

"Hmm… I think it just came in yesterday. And I think a scientist from a nearby town is the client." Lucy explained, tapping her forehead in thought. She smiled but soon grew nervous as Ulysses loomed over the flyer with a distraught and wrathful glare to his eyes. He turned his eyes to hers and stared deeply into them. There was nothing but honest curiosity and concern in her eyes.

"Tell me, Lucy… You're a mage, a good one, I assume. What do you sense when you look at me?" Ulysses asked. One sorceress had already deciphered the magic in him. He could not hide it, only suppress and contain. It was useless to hide from mages. Lucy calmed down. She sensed his somber demeanor. Could feel the dread in his mind.

"Power. Loads and loads of magic power, but I assumed it was because you were a good _**ReQuip **_Mage like Erza. Minerva mentioned it… after, you know. And Master noticed it, but was less vocal about it. I didn't want to say anything because well, if you were dangerous, and since you seem to be hiding a lot of secrets…" Lucy trailed off as Ulysses held up a finger for silence. He sighed and summoned a sword onto his hip.

"Alright. Alright… I can use _**ReQuip **_very effectively, this is true. And I'm sure you're all dying to figure out what kind of stuff I'm hiding. But even if you don't trust me all that much, you should trust when I tell you not to dig too deeply. All you need to know is that I might be more trouble than your Master bargained for. Please… be on your guard." Ulysses said pleadingly. He hid his emotions. Lucy calmly nodded and they silently agreed to set out. As Ulysses followed Lucy down and out into the streets of Helios, the impeding and heavy sense of dread that clutched to his mind seemed to grow deeper with each step.

_If fate is not evil, it will not put these girls in even more danger because of me… But, I've never known fate to be moral, or even good._

Hours. They passed as Ulysses followed Lucy through the hills and forest roads of Fiore. He had little notion of where they were headed. He was not acquainted with Fiore's layout, or territory. One had very little time to study maps, charts, and diagrams when pursued incessantly by rabid assassins. They passed small huntsman's huts, fisher's docks on ponds and alongside rivers, but the nearest town was still a measure away as Lucy had put it.

"Hey, Ulysses," Lucy called from ahead. Ulysses glanced up. He was a good fifty feet behind her. He caught up and stopped behind her. Lucy pointed down the road at what appeared to be a checkpoint. "Recognize any of those men down there? They stopped that merchant."

"Assyrians," Ulysses confirmed. He had instantly recognized their silvery armor and red feather crests. "One of the three Empires on my trail. Going around at this point isn't gonna work, they probably spotted you. Lucy, listen here…" Ulysses trailed as he summoned a cloak. Lucy paid the utmost attention to him. Ulysses felt a small measure of relief. She was taking him seriously.

"Should I do the talking?" Lucy asked. Ulysses smiled, she was already formulating a plan of bypassing the Assyrians. Ulysses should have expected such an instance. The Assyrians had proven their diplomacy time and time again. So a diplomatic mission to Fiore to search for their 'fugitive enemy of state' gave them unlimited access to Fiore's roadways and towns.

"Yes. Tell them you're a guild wizard escorting a client. Make up whatever lie you want. If the plan caves and they suspect us, I want you to run for cover and close your eyes and ears. The Assyrians made a deal with Fiore, they're here legally and have diplomatic immunity, which means diddly-squat to me." Ulysses explained as he donned the cloak and hid his key necklace. Lucy nodded with determination and put on a wondrous fake smile. Ulysses grinned and they began making their way towards the checkpoint. A small squadron of fifteen men patrolled the road.

"You there! Halt!" an Assyrian spearman called as Lucy approached with her cloaked client. Ulysses kept his head down, hiding his glowing eyes.

"Hi fellas! What's going on?" Lucy said as they stopped. The merchant was allowed to go on. The Assyrian captain approached and held up a sketch of Ulysses.

"We're hunting for a fugitive of Assyria whom we believe has fled here to Fiore. Do you recognize this man?" the captain asked. Lucy shook her head and accentuated her bust purposefully. Ulysses could tell she was distracting them a bit.

"No, I think I would remember someone like him. I always remember handsome men, I know I'll remember you boys." Lucy said flirtatiously. The Assyrian soldiers all reacted to her compliment with a mixture of embarrassment and arrogance about their looks. The captain did not seem impressed by Lucy's charm, however.

"Miss, might I inquire about you? To where do you travel, and who is your companion?" the captain asked, his face stoic. Lucy nodded and gestured to Ulysses.

"I'm a guild wizard and I'm escorting my client here to the next town over. And, as you can see, my client is a very private person." Lucy said, the fun and light lilt in her voice was very convincing. The captain narrowed his eyes at her and Ulysses. He turned to his men. Ulysses felt a change in the air. Their lie was working against them.

"Men, take the hooded one. He's hiding something." The captain said bluntly. Lucy cried out in annoyance.

"What!? You can't do that!" Lucy exclaimed in protest. Ulysses stepped in front of her. The Assyrians stopped their approached as Ulysses reached across under his cloak.

"Lucy. Run." Upon his command, Lucy raced off into the trees as Ulysses drew his sword and ripped his cloak off.

"It's him! Get him!" the captain yelled. But he had spoken his last as Ulysses' sword took his head off. The two spearmen tried to surround him, but Ulysses summoned forth a spear of his own and rammed it into one of them. The other charged from behind, only to be run through by his comrade's weapon cast at him by Ulysses. The small squadron regrouped and drew short swords accompanied by large round shields. They charged Ulysses in a futile attempt to overwhelm him. It ended with them subsequently being cut down one by one as Ulysses danced between them and cut away, slicing off sword arms, legs, and even gutting one of the men right through his armor. The last one alive dropped his sword and shield to beg on his knees. Ulysses remembered the last time he left an Assyrian alive.

_Ha, bastard stabbed me right between the ribs. If not for my healing factor, I'd have died. _Ulysses flipped his sword around and rammed it between the man's neck and shoulder. He groaned silently and fell as the sword left his body. Ulysses wiped the blood from his sword and retrieved his cloak.

"Lucy!" Ulysses called. He followed the scent of lilacs and lemon to a nearby tree where Lucy was crouched with her eyes closed and ears covered. Ulysses shook her shoulder and she yelped. After noticing it was Ulysses she calmed down.

"Oh, Ulysses… is it over? What did you do to them?" Lucy asked as she tried to glance around the tree. Ulysses caught her wrist and forced to look at him. She flinched at the cold, barren light in his eyes.

"What I normally do to my enemies. Don't look at them." Ulysses said with a suffocated sigh. Lucy's face fell and she looked on with disappointment at Ulysses.

"Did you really have to… kill them?" Lucy asked, disgust permeating her voice. Ulysses sighed and leaned on the tree heavily.

"What do you want me to do? Slap them on the ass and tell them to knock it off? The assassins at least make it known they want me dead. The Assyrians and Hittites, they'd capture me, take my key, torture me, and then hang me for almost no reason." Ulysses explained. His grim exasperation led to a long silence. Lucy glanced at him every so often. He felt her aversion to him growing with each passing second. She seemed to be searching for some reason or inclination to do away with her repulsed feelings towards Ulysses.

"We should go…" Lucy mumbled. Ulysses nodded and roused himself from his state of self-loathing and weariness. He guided Lucy away from the scene of the slaughter and pushed her ahead.

"Go, walk ahead for a while. I'll catch up in a few minutes. I have to dispose of those Assyrians before someone finds them. Then the whole of Ishgar will know I'm here if I don't." Ulysses explained as he turned back. Lucy caught his hand in hers. Ulysses felt a spike drive itself into his heart and mind. He looked down at her hand.

"Ulysses… don't let it consume you." Lucy said. He could tell she was not entirely certain of what she meant by her words. And neither was Ulysses. He nodded and pulled away. Lucy hesitated before walking on towards their destination.

Ulysses approached the carnage his blade and hand had wrought and soon had an understanding of Lucy's words. He looked at the blood-soaked dirt and stone, hearing phantom screams emanating from the dark soil. The screams of the men he killed. There was not a day that went by where he did not see the face or hear the cry of each and every man he'd ever slain. But Ulysses did as he had to. There was no other choice when it came to staying alive and protecting the secrets his ancestors held so dear. He gathered the bodies of the Assyrians together in a pile along the gully of the road. Weapons and all were stacked up on the dead.

"Fuck… here goes…" Ulysses sighed as he breathed deep and felt his magic flare up. But no weapon was summoned. His eyes glowed brighter and his outstretched palm held a bright white glowing ball with a dim green hue to it. He turned his hand over and aimed it at the pile of men and in an instant it fired off a large blast of superheated energy. Wind kicked up, the sky grew dim, and the ground beneath Ulysses became black with the burning energy he released. He cut off the energy and everything returned to normal, everything except Ulysses himself. Before him now was a black, sooty mark on the ground where the bodies used to be. And Ulysses let off small, green particles from his exposed skin and hair.

"Ironic, I swore off using that power… but here I am using it to cover my tracks." Ulysses sighed as he began walking back up the road. He left naught behind except the bloody road, though he knew that any who came through would find nothing but charred dirt and blood-soaked stone.

_Later…_

* * *

Lucy sighed as she sat down in the parlor of her new client. The short, bespectacled man twirled his long mustache as he sipped on a cup of tea. His butler poured Lucy a cup and she smiled.

"Thank you… Um, Dr. Fimblefinder?" Lucy said, gaining the doctor's attention. His toothy grin was missing a few teeth but otherwise let off a strong eagerness and joyful mood.

"Yes ma'am! You are here to find my Magico-Fimblefinder-Inator, correct?" Dr. Fimblefinder asked. Lucy nodded but gestured to the door she had just entered from.

"Yes, but I have a companion with me. They should be arriving soon…" Lucy trailed off. The doctor gasped in bewilderment.

"Oh my! Were you separated?" Dr. Fimblefinder asked. Lucy shook her head.

"Not necessarily. He had to… tend to something on the way here." Lucy said. The doctor shared a curious glance with his butler.

"Miss Lucy, if I'm not mistaken, your guild is entirely comprised of females. Correct?" Dr. Fimblefinder wondered. Lucy grew nervous for a moment as she tried to compile a believable lie.

"Um, yes! But! But… I'm working with someone who is an experienced tracker! Kind of a joint effort between guilds. We're just experimenting, you see. He's not actually a member of Mermaid Heel. All it means is that we'll find your device twice as fast!" Lucy explained reassuringly. Her answer seemed to satisfy the doctor's curiosity and calmed the man down. Well, all were calm until the front doors were nearly kicked open. Lucy yelped and nearly spilled all her tea as the doors crashed against their stoppers and Ulysses walked in. His face torn with fear and suspicion, but when he spotted Lucy he relaxed.

"My, oh my! Young man! What do you think you're doing!?" Dr. Fimblefinder exclaimed, waving his arms wildly. Ulysses brushed past the fretful butler and sat down next to Lucy with a relaxed sigh. Lucy was surprised at how warm he felt next to her.

"Worry not, good sir. I am here at the behest of my companion, Lucy, to help retrieve your instrument. As she may have already informed you, I'm not a member of her guild, but I am here with the consent of the Guild Master, Ultear Milkovich. There is naught to be concerned with other than enlightening us with the details of how your invention was stolen from your laboratory." Ulysses explained with the mannerism of a ruler. He sat back on the loveseat, his arm on the rest and supporting his chin. Dr. Fimblefinder's mood shifted to excitement and satisfaction in an instant.

"Ah, finally! A man with class! Do tell me, how do you find the ladies of Mermaid Heel?" Dr. Fimblefinder asked. Ulysses smirked and leaned forward slightly.

"A man who knows a good lady is a man who makes good choices. While they are rather headstrong and powerful, they are all beautiful beyond compare and their grace of femininity is not to be missed. A man who ignores the charm of a Mermaid Heel mistress will find himself being chastised and made a fool for a lifetime to come." Ulysses answered. The doctor smiled and nodded. He stroked his moustache and looked Lucy over.

"I must say, you are correct. But I find myself wondering if their emancipated nature would make them difficult to woo." Dr. Fimblefinder said. Ulysses shrugged and leaned back again.

"That I cannot say for sure. But enough of that. Onto the matter at hand, doctor." Ulysses said, gaining a particularly authoritative bearing. The doctor nodded in agreement and clapped his hands. The butler appeared from another room bearing diagrams and drawings.

"These are the blueprints of my invention. It looks similar to a sextant yet the meter, compass, and directional dial attached to it, as well as the lacrima powering it, are the main differences. This means it can track a source both over land as well as sea." Dr. Fimblefinder explained. Lucy and Ulysses looked over the blueprints for a moment. Ulysses put the paper down and gave the doctor a stern glare.

"This is all well and good, doctor, but we must examine the site of the theft." Ulysses stated. Dr. Fimblefinder nodded and rose from his seat. The butler bowed and gestured for them to follow.

"Miss Lucy did mention you are an exceptional tracker, Master…?" Dr. Fimblefinder trailed off in search of Ulysses' name.

"Ulysses, if you will," Ulysses answered. The doctor nodded and smiled as he led them through his expansive and illustrious mansion. Ulysses gave Lucy a sidelong glance. "And, yes, Lucy is correct. I am a tracker of a sort."

"That's just phenomenal! Right, here we are. My laboratory," Dr. Fimblefinder said as the butler opened a pair of double doors into a large, backyard building with various scientific and alchemical instruments inside, as well as a variety of tools and assemblages of other inventions. "Near the back corner is where the thieves broke in. I've not had anything cleaned or touched since the incident. So, everything should be as it was when the fiends swiped my precious invention."

"Good. We'll have a look around. If you don't mind leaving us alone, it would be extremely helpful." Ulysses said to the doctor. Fimblefinder nodded and left the room with his butler in tow. Ulysses approached the back of the room and Lucy followed him closely.

"So, how'd you know I was good at tracking?" Ulysses asked as he stopped at the edge of the broken glass littering the floor. Lucy nearly bumped into him. Her head had been spinning since he entered the building. How did he suddenly become in charge of her mission?

"Um, well, I didn't. I just was lying to cover for you." Lucy answered sheepishly. Ulysses glanced at her with his stern glowing eyes. She shivered under his gaze.

"Huh. Well, I'll let you in on one of my secrets. It's a rather obvious one. I have enhanced senses. It's how I managed to find you. Lilacs and lemon go together rather nicely." Ulysses said as he crouched down to examine the scene. Lucy felt herself blush and she glared at the back of his head.

"Why were you sniffing me!?" Lucy hissed, instinctively covering her sensitive areas. Ulysses shook his head and chuckled.

"Like I said. I can't really help it, but I was able to use it to track you down. I was glad to see you weren't walking into a trap." Ulysses said as he picked up some glass and sniffed it. His words confused her even more than his sudden control over the situation.

_Walking into a trap? To find a magic sensing device? Wait… his magic signature is rather powerful… No! _Lucy thought and suddenly grabbed Ulysses by the shoulder. He looked back at her with a curious gaze.

"Do you think this was stolen so they could track you down easily? You're enemies, I mean?" Lucy asked in a hushed whisper. Ulysses nodded solemnly and sighed. He looked out across the broken glass and shattered window. The iron bars that protected the laboratory from a window break-in had done little to stop the thieves.

"Exactly. Which is why I was concerned about this quest. Your guild might get new quests based solely on the fact that I'm here and my enemies are scouring the country in search of me. Which is why I'm only going to stay with you until there's a clear path up north. I'm already guessing that the Assyrians are checking every ship that leaves the port, and the Hittites are sinking those ships." Ulysses explained with a sigh.

"And those assassins?" Lucy wondered.

"The Order of the Golden Skull. They serve under the Head Priestess of the Cult of Ishtar. A malicious woman who'll do anything to gain control over the Far East and the rest of the world, all in the name of Ishtar. She sent two of her Stone Masters to kill me, one of them you already saw. Redstone. He was the one who must've put that bounty on my head. Then when he grew impatient, bombed your guild and attempted to kill me. Since they failed I'm assuming they're comrades are going to try and use this device to track me down. Just a guess, though." Ulysses said. He stood up and examined the table that held the device. Lucy connected the dots in her mind.

"So it's only a matter of time before someone hunts you down." Lucy concluded. Ulysses grunted in agreement.

"Now I'm more concerned about what kind of danger, or deceit you and your guildmates are going to be exposed to because of me. Lot of mouths, lots of words and whispers to go around. Hopefully Ultear is doing damage control for that. She seems like she wants to help, even if it means exposing herself to danger." Ulysses said. Lucy felt slightly overwhelmed by the situation. But she had weathered plenty of storms before. She hoped this one would be no different. She reached forward and caught Ulysses by the shoulder.

"Ulysses," Lucy started. He turned to face her, a shard of red glass in his hand. Lucy had a determined look in her eyes. It somewhat reassured him and also made him anxious. "Master Ultear is right to help you. You're a good person and you need help. So… even if you don't want to tell us everything, we're here to help you."

"Huh…" Ulysses was without words. Never before had he met someone so seemingly selfless that she was willing to help someone she barely knew. An odd sensation riled itself inside him when he looked into Lucy's big brown eyes. Ulysses felt himself growing slightly emotional. He turned away to compose himself.

"I just hope your guildmates feel the same way…" He whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing, let's uh…" Ulysses trailed off. He held up the red-stained glass and looked at it under the light. "This glass has blood on it. The scent is faint, but I can probably track it. Whoever broke that window must've given themselves a nasty cut."

"I wonder if there is a blood trail." Lucy said as she leaned over to the broken window. She nodded and pointed at the dried blood on the sill. Ulysses gave her a thumb up and hopped up on the window to exit.

"Great. That ought to help. Let's go." Ulysses said as he jumped out the window.

"Um, Ulysses, there's a door right over there." Lucy said, pointing across the room. Ulysses glanced back inside and shrugged.

"Alright, I'll meet you out here."

"I see why we don't work with boys."

* * *

Ulysses stopped Lucy as they approached the edge of the tree line. They had followed a rather obvious path of trampled plants and broken twigs through the woods behind the doctor's mansion. It led them to a barren road far beyond the town the doctor lived in where a small shack sat across the road. They crouched in the bushes and watched the building for several moments.

"I'm betting anything there's a cave or something under that hut. I can hear echoes coming from it. Faint, but they're there. Let's go in with a plan, alright?" Ulysses said, sitting back and summoning a sword onto his hip. It was a regular arming sword, shorter than his regular carry but just as effective.

"That sounds better than recklessly barging in. Especially if it turns out you're right." Lucy said, kneeling down before him. Ulysses nodded and handed her a sheathed dagger. Lucy eyed it warily before taking it from him. She hooked it to her hip just next to her whip.

"Use that if you have to. Remember, those Golden Skull bastards _will _kill you. There is no mercy among cultists. Now, what kind of magic do you use?" Ulysses asked. He stood up and watched the hut from around the tree.

"Celestial Spirit Magic." Lucy answered swiftly. Ulysses glanced down at the slew of keys hanging from her hip and noticed they were not normal keys. They each had a different shape and emblem on them. He nodded and tried his best to remember what that meant.

"Alright. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but use it if you have to. For now, let me take the lead. If it turns out I'm right, do not engage them. I know you need the device to make money, but I can't let those bastards track me down." Ulysses explained. Lucy nodded and gripped the dagger handle tightly. She was nervous.

"Okay… so what if we can't take them?" Lucy asked. Ulysses looked her dead in the eye. She flinched at his gaze.

"If _you _can't, then I want you to run. Run as far and as fast as you can. I'll be fine. If I hand you my coat, then you need to run. Got it? That's only if it goes south in there. Please tell me you'll run if I give you my coat." Ulysses said pleadingly, grabbing Lucy by the shoulders. She was unnerved by him but nodded. Ulysses released her and drew his sword. He nodded and took a deep breath. He did not like the situation at all. He wanted Lucy to stay, to leave and let him die or fend for himself. But he could sense she was not about to give up.

"Okay… I promise to run if I have to. I know you don't want me getting hurt… but I'm tougher than I look." Lucy said confidently. Ulysses prayed silently as he walked out onto the road with Lucy right behind him. As they approached the hut, his adrenaline kicked in and he quietly opened the door. Inside they found nothing but cobwebs, dust, and a trap door. His senses continued to tell him there were voices and movements coming from below, so he cracked the door open and jumped in.

"Stay up there for now." Ulysses ordered and pointed at Lucy. She pouted and nodded. She could guard the entrance. He did not want her in direct danger. Ulysses felt a small relief as she agreed to stay and he continued down the tunnel attached to the trap door. His heartbeat picked up and he summoned another sword to his other hand. The voices grew louder and he heard the ticking of a device.

"Here goes…"

* * *

"Greenstone, I can't… look. It isn't working. Stealing the prototype was a bad idea. You couldn't wait five days for this idiot to make a better one?" Orangestone asked as he fiddled with the device on the table before them. Greenstone slammed his hands on the table.

"NO! We need to find Platinum before he flees north. Redstone and Bluestone must have failed. There's no reason for them not to be back by now. You know this! Now make the damn thing work! Bottling his magic residue from his attack back in Caelum wasn't just a fucking afterthought!" Greenstone yelled. A mountainous man stood behind him, his face covered by a grey skull mask. One of the Whites went to check the entrance. Greenstone sighed as Orangestone continued to use the device to the best of his abilities. Greenstone turned to regard the noise behind them and saw his White getting decapitated by the man in question. Almost as if Ishtar herself decided to walk him into their hideout.

"My, oh fucking MY! Orangestone, Greystone, look who it is. Put that stupid contraption down." Greenstone said as the green-eyed swordsman walked into their cave. Torchlight revealed the fury in his visage and the coldness of his glare. Greystone and Orangestone joined him in watching their quarry slice down their subordinates with relative ease.

"Well, well, he _is _skilled like Mistress said he would be. Just look at him gutting that poor boy." Orangestone commented as the man finished killing their men. He glared at them and shrugged his coat off. It hit the ground with a strong thud. He approached with swords at the ready.

"Charming hideout. Really seals the message that you're barbaric psychopaths hell-bent on world domination." Ulysses deadpanned as he approached the three Stone Masters. Greenstone shook his head and patted Greystone on the back.

"Greystone, kill him. But don't crush him. We're still short his key." Greenstone ordered. The massive man grunted in response and approached Ulysses. He raised his fists up and beat them on his chest like an ape. Greenstone and Orangestone stepped back to watch. Ulysses grew suspicious of the cultist's words. He spun his swords.

"You're going to be short your heads." Ulysses growled as he rushed Greystone. But the massive man was deceptively fast and he had to dodge as two massive fists shattered the stone he had been standing on. Ulysses was suddenly on the defensive as the brutish man swung wildly at him, missing for the most part as Ulysses dodged and rolled under his attacks. Walls of stone shattered and the ground rumbled with each of Greystone's missed attacks. Ulysses found himself jumping and diving over rubble to avoid the monstrous man and soon found his foot catching a fallen stone. He tripped and rolled to a stop. Greystone easily took advantage of his state and smashed him into the ground with his fists. Ulysses screamed as he was planted into the ground.

"Uh… did I smash him?" Greystone asked numbly as he lifted his fists. Blood dripped from the giant's fists as he leveled them with his eyes. Stuck deep in the flesh of his hands were two spiked shields. A groan sounded from the hole in the ground.

"Son of a bitch…" Ulysses mumbled as he pulled himself out of the hole. He had a few bruises and a cut on his forehead, but was ultimately fine. He conjured up his swords again and rushed Greystone while the beastly man was pulling the shields from his hands. Ulysses skidded under the man and sliced out the tendons on the backs of his knees. Greystone moaned as he collapsed on all fours, shaking the ground and crumbling under his own weight. Ulysses turned and mounted him like a hilltop and rammed his swords into the man's neck. Greystone gargled blood for a moment before collapsing dead on the floor. Sarcastic clapping ensued as Ulysses pulled his swords free and turned to face down Greenstone and Orangestone.

"Bravo, bravo, Platinum! You killed one of the Greys. What a fucking achievement. Greys are like the Whites, fodder for us Stone Masters. Orangestone, take the contraption and get out of here. I'll tend to Platinum." Greenstone said as he finished clapping and drew a pair of sabers. Orangestone took hold of the device on the table and Greenstone barred Ulysses from charging him. Orangestone escaped as Ulysses clashed with Greenstone.

"You're all dead men. I'll kill as many of you as I have to in order to keep you from getting this key." Ulysses said as he held back the cultist. Greenstone smiled under his mask and they disengaged.

"You're all we have left. Once you either die or are captured, we can open the Platinum Vault." Greenstone said as they clashed again. Both came away from the sword lock and tango with cuts. Ulysses hesitated for a moment. Greenstone tried to overwhelm him in that moment, but Ulysses was faster, slicing off a hunk of Greenstone's leg as he disengaged and sidestepped the cultist. Greenstone growled in anger and hobbled to face Ulysses.

"What do you mean? I'm all you have left? Impossible. The other key was lost in the blast that leveled Constantinople. That's what I don't get about you all chasing me down. How do you hope to open the Vault when I'm the only other key holder?" Ulysses asked. They clashed again. Steel against steel, but Greenstone's injuries thwarted his abilities and he lost his arms to Ulysses' superior skills. The wicked cultist dropped to his knees and Ulysses leveled his swords with his throat.

"Hah… ha… You really think she died? Mistress has been kind to her, you know…" Greenstone said with a crooked grin. Ulysses kicked him in the face and rammed his sword into his gut. Greenstone screamed as his mask cracked open. His face was just as mutilated as Redstone's.

"Talk! What do you mean! TALK!" Ulysses bellowed. He twisted his sword and Greenstone cried out with a smile.

"I've said… too much. Ishtar take me…" Greenstone mumbled as he slowly died. Ulysses cursed himself for causing the man too much blood loss. He removed his sword and stared down at the disgusting face of Greenstone. He spat on the man's corpse.

"Ishtar is a whore."

* * *

Lucy cried out as she kicked a white-masked man and knocked him out. She glanced about the fight, wondering where all these men came from. They had almost randomly appeared. Taurus, her Celestial Spirit, was easily chopping the men down left and right, while Virgo, her maiden Spirit beat the ever-loving hell out of some of the others. Lucy managed to take down a few more with her whip, but there were still quite a few of them trying to enter the hut. She was about to whip another one when her attack was blocked.

"What the-?" Lucy exclaimed. Before her was a man in an orange mask, similar to the white-masked men, brandishing a saber and a very odd contraption.

"Ah, good day, madam. I see my associates have kept you busy. I am Orangestone. Would you happen to be working with that foolish sword-boy down there? So sorry, but I'm afraid my friend Greenstone is killing him." Orangestone said with a half-bow. Lucy glanced at the shack as she was surrounded by masked men.

"No. Ulysses can't be dead. If it took six Mermaids to take him down, one of you isn't going to be enough." Lucy said sternly. Orangestone grunted in anger but seemed to focus in on her appearance.

"A wizard? From Mermaid Heel!? I knew it! Green was such a dummy! Bluestone and Redstone had tracked him down correctly! Never needed this stupid thing. Ah, well, unfortunately I have orders. And one of them is to kill any witnesses." Orangestone said and leveled his sword at Lucy. She readied herself as the white-masked men began attacking again. She fended them off and whipped Orangestone, but her attack was blocked and he started rushing her. She levied more attacks on him, but the swordsman did not budge and continued his charge. He countered another whipping and got his sword wrapped up in Lucy's bullwhip. They struggled for a moment before Orangestone overpowered her and pulled her to her knees. He leveled his sword at her neck and smiled under his mask.

"Goodbye, miss. Ishtar favor you!" Lucy screamed as he plunged his sword at her. But not a second passed when the sound of steel against steel grated her ears, and the sickening sound of flesh being ripped asunder reached her ears. A shadow was cast over her. The tip of Orangestone's saber dripped with blood right in front of her nose. Heat radiated from the figure before her. For a moment, everything was silent. Taurus and Virgo had finished with the other masked men and joined Lucy's side, hoisting her to her feet where she had a clear view of her savior. Orangestone's head rolled to a stop at the edge of the road, and Ulysses dropped to his knees, a saber planted firmly in his torso.

"Sorry… I'm… late… Lucy…" Ulysses grunted as he dropped his swords and doubled over. "You alright?" Those were the last two words that escaped him before he toppled over on the dirt road. Lucy stared down at him for a moment. Panic, fear, relief, and anger all set in at once. Ulysses slowly bled out on the ground. Lucy grew wide-eyed and her breath stagnated. Her eyes watered and blurred.

"ULYSSES!"

* * *

**Hang on folks. We're in for a hell of a ride. Will Ulysses survive his mortal wound? What were the Cultists on about in the cave? And what is the Platinum Vault?**

**Find out next chapter! Thanks Guys.**

**See you next time with Bonds.**


	3. Hero or Fool

Chapter Three

Hero or Fool

"I don't like it. I can't believe you sent him out with her." Erza said to Ultear. Kagura stood off to the side, watching the windows to the small hotel room. Mira guarded the door. And Lucy sat on the couch with her head hung. She gripped her skirt as Ultear argued with Erza.

"I made the right choice! Who knows what would have happened if he didn't go with her!?" Ultear exclaimed. Erza grunted and pointed at the closed bedroom door.

"She wouldn't have been in danger if you would've just cast him out in the first place!" Erza retorted. Mira nodded in agreement.

"I say we leave him here. Let those crazy bastards find him." Mira chimed in. Ultear gave her a sidelong glare before returning her eyes to the fuming knight.

"I couldn't rightly leave him for dead! Would you have let him die that night? Would you have left him for dead on that road? It's not right. Doing nothing is just as bad as striking the killing blow yourself." Ultear argued. The room grew silent. Lucy shuddered in place and tears quietly fell from her eyes.

"I think…" Kagura started in a quiet tone. Eyes focused on her. She gulped and gripped the dagger on her hip. "I think Master is right. He's a danger… but he's a good person. We all know that. He never wanted to involve us or hurt us, we involved ourselves when we took on that bounty."

"True enough… Kagura does have a point. He… he did save Lucy from certain death, despite the risk to himself." Erza said calmly. Mira scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Seriously? What do you expect him to do? Save everyone with his big old sword? Quit defending him just because you want his _sword_." Mira snapped with a sarcastic tone. Erza and Kagura glared at Mira. Swords were about to be drawn when a knock came at the door. Mira sighed and checked the peephole. She nodded and opened the door to let a very curious and annoyed Minerva inside, followed by an equally curious Meredy.

"What's all the fuss about? Someone else all upset the fool got stabbed?" Minerva wondered as she entered. Mira closed and locked the door behind her as the pair made their way into the room.

"The sword sisters are defending him 'cause he's a big swordsman with a thick _blade _on him." Mira mocked and stuck her tongue out at Erza and Kagura. Minerva laughed and sat down on a plush recliner.

"Of course they are. But enough with the mocking and banter. What's important is what we do with the bastard, and what we know about him." Minerva said suggestively. The Mermaids all ceased their angry bouts and paid heed to their guildmate's words.

"What's that supposed to mean, Minerva?" Ultear asked, sitting across from her. The buxom sorceress smiled wickedly.

"Why, it means that there's more to this guy than he says. We've all noticed his magic power is far stronger than a normal Spatial Magic user's. But I think I know why." Minerva said and gestured to Meredy. The small girl held up a jar of charred soil. The women all stared in confusion at the object in question. Meredy sighed and opened the jar.

"We found this at the scene where Lucy and Ulysses attacked the assassins. As we know, Ulysses saved Lucy by taking the blade into himself and killing the assassin. But he was on the other side of the road when he intercepted the assassin's attack. His boot prints were next to the shack, and where he fell over. Nowhere between those two points did we see boot marks." Meredy explained as she laid the dirt out on the coffee table.

"But, this soil was around where Ulysses had been standing, just before intercepting the assassin. He… well, for lack of a better term, jumped. But he moved fast enough to both intercept the assassin, and stop him from hurting Lucy. How he moved that fast, is the question." Minerva elaborated. Meredy nodded and separated the topsoil from the undergrowth of the grassy dirt. Ultear leaned over the sample and suddenly reared back.

"My, it's hot…" Ultear commented and fanned her neck with her hand. Meredy nodded and poked the soil with a dry leaf. The leaf caught fire and she immediately put it out.

"Very hot. And radiating with an intense energy, as well as magic energy. Nothing like I've ever encountered before." Meredy said. The dirt seemed to slowly heat the whole room, and the table it was laying on started to turn black on top. Suddenly the door to the bedroom burst open to reveal a weary, tired, and wounded Ulysses with bandages tied around his bare torso.

"Get… that back in the jar." Ulysses said sternly to Meredy as he stared her in the eye. She complied and pushed the dirt back into the jar. He then waved her over. Meredy glanced at Ultear before walking over to the wounded swordsman. He swiped the jar from her hand and closed it. It suddenly heated up in his hand and the glass welded itself shut. He gently pushed past Meredy and walked over to one of the windows. Kagura opened it upon his indication and he threw the jar as far as he could out the window. He then meandered back towards the bedroom, retrieved his jacket, and slung it across the coffee table. It broke the table's legs and laid it on the floor with a loud bang. Minerva smiled coyly at him and gestured to his grey coat.

"So, what was all that for?" Minerva asked. Ulysses slowly walked back into the room and sat down on the couch next to Lucy. She stared at him in slight awe. Ulysses undid the bandages around his waist and looked at the spot where he was wounded. A scar was present but he had healed over completely. He took a deep breath.

"Fuck."

* * *

Ulysses knew he was metaphorically in deep shit. He had tripped, fallen, and was shat on by his own secrets. The cat was certainly out of the bag in a certain manner of speaking. He leaned back on the couch and relaxed for a few moments. All eyes in the room were on him. Ears were tuned to the sound of his breathing. He sighed.

"Well, are you gonna talk, dickhead?" Mira wondered angrily. Ulysses tiredly glanced at her and sighed.

"Maybe if you ask me nicely, sweetheart." Ulysses responded sarcastically. Mira grew annoyed and approached him with a fist raised. But Erza intervened, physically barring Mira from getting near him and he sighed.

"Ugh… I have the worst fuckin' headache…" Ulysses groaned and closed his eyes. In truth, he was in less pain than before he had closed his eyes. He simply did not want to withstand the prying and curious stares of the women around him.

"Aren't you going to explain what that little fiasco was about?" Minerva's condescending voice asked from across the room. Ulysses sighed and leaned as heavily into the couch as he could. There was no escaping the conundrum laid out before him. He sensed Lucy next to him and discerned how upset she was.

"Lucy…" Ulysses started. The room grew quiet once more. Lucy made a noise of surprise. "Sorry you got caught up like that. At least I kept them from hurting you."

Silence. Ulysses swore he heart heartbeats and pulses throughout the room. A small part of him wondered why so many of the Mermaids had gathered here, but he held off on that notion as Lucy's delicate hand touched his shoulder. He peeked out his right eye and saw her smiling at him.

"I'm just happy you're okay. I just wish-" Lucy started.

"No. Don't wish," Ulysses interrupted her. She was taken aback. "What more could you have done? Hell, I'm surprised you dragged my useless ass out of there and saved my life." He finished and patted Lucy on her head. He held his scarred wound. It still throbbed with the phantom pain of cold steel deep inside him. Lucy poked him in the side and he winced.

"Ah, the hell!?"

"Idiot. I said I would help you. You saved my life, and I saved yours. I think we're even." Lucy said haughtily and crossed her arms. Ulysses chuckled.

"Ha… Yeah. You did. Thank you… for your help. All of you. Even if you didn't do much traditional helping. My trail probably would've never gone cold if I hadn't landed in your stead." Ulysses said with a half-cocked grin. Some of the girls returned his sentiment with small smiles, while Minerva and Mira still glared heatedly at him as though he was about to be stabbed again.

"Enough of your charming, Mr. Secrets. Stop stalling and explain what you are. And what do you mean when you say your trail's gone cold?" Minerva said heatedly. Ulysses sighed and leveled his dead eyes at her. She flinched in disgust at him.

"Pft… buzzkill," Ulysses muttered. He cleared his throat and sat up a bit. "Well, it's as I said. My trail's gone cold. If I remember right, those assassins, their Order never sends more than four of those colored mask wearers. Two to hunt the target down, two for backup."

"Yes, Lucy mentioned you told her about the Order. Does that mean we don't need to worry about them for a while?" Ultear wondered. Ulysses nodded and patted his scar, which inevitably made him cringe in pain.

"Ow… Essentially, yes. I'm sure wind of their failure will eventually get back to the Order's leader, Mistress of Ishtar. Then more will eventually come. They know I'm in Fiore, where and with whom is their dilemma. So… for now… we can rest easy. Only thing is, my path north still won't be clear till the Hittites are driven out and I can slip past Assyrian diplomatic checkpoints." Ulysses explained. The girls all seemed to share his relief. Erza visibly relaxed, something he never expected to see from the stiff swordswoman.

"I did some asking around after you two left. The invading army from the Hittite Empire has the entirety of the northern border blocked, and they blockaded certain ports. And like you eluded to, the Assyrian Empire sent ambassadors and soldiers to Fiore in search of an 'enemy of the state'." Ultear stated. Ulysses sighed and rubbed the annoyed expression from his face.

"As I thought…"

"DAMMIT! Would you explain this mystery of your magic already?" Minerva yelled, startling everyone in the room. Ulysses narrowed his eyes at her and stood up.

"Wouldn't you like to fuckin' know, huh? You were just as eager to find out what my key opens, and now you want to know what kind of power I wield? Just what the hell are you playing at, Minerva?" Ulysses asked angrily. Minerva stood up and glared harshly at him.

"I've no notion of what you're trying to imply. I merely wish to ensure that we know how and why you're dangerous." Minerva said with venom dripping in her voice. Ulysses scowled.

"Bullshit has a foul odor. And you fuckin' reek. Listen, you know all you need to know, so stop asking questions you don't want the answer to." Ulysses retorted, his voice a guttural growl. Minerva scoffed at him and sat back down.

"Fine then. Don't tell us why that dirt was so dangerous you had to throw it out of the room. Seems like an exaggeration to me." Minerva deadpanned. Ulysses growled and stalked away. He picked up his coat and threw it on before violently opening the door to the room.

"You're all safe, that's all that matters. Don't concern yourselves with it. As long as you do as I say when the need arises, there's nothing to worry about." Ulysses said firmly. He then walked out of the hotel room and left the women to their own conclusions.

_I swore. I swore I'd never expose anyone to that power ever again. It's a fucking curse. I have to do everything I can not to let my problems cause harm to befall those girls. They've helped me, albeit a bit inadvertently. I have to rid them of my plague before it gets worse. _Ulysses exited out onto the street and stopped abruptly in the center of the sparsely populated town. He looked around and spotted the home of Dr. Fimblefinder, but aside from that he was, ultimately, lost. He turned around to see Ultear, Kagura, and Erza follow him out. They stopped when they spotted him standing in the street looking as though he were caught in a trap.

"Ulysses?"

"Uh… which way is Helios?"

* * *

Night. It was calm but noisy. Even through the thick walls of the Undercroft Ulysses could pick out individual crickets chirping in the night, and the scurrying of small creatures around the building. It had been less than a day since he had come back to the guildhall and began fixing up weapons again. And yet again his body resisted the need for rest. More he lacked the need for rest. It was both his gift and curse. Sometimes he wished for the blissful lull of sleep. Such as when a noisy Mermaid practiced her lines at the top of the Undercroft stairs. Ulysses checked the clock on the forge wall and it read four in the morning. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and draped the towel over his shoulder. Again he was shirtless due to the heat of the forge. His new scar was completely healed. Several other scars dotted and lined his torso, but many were from before he became cursed and bless with enhanced healing.

"H-Hi, Ulysses." Lucy's voice called from across the Undercroft. He turned to regard her small form hiding behind the frame of the staircase doorway. Ulysses chuckled and set down the axe he had been working on.

"Lucy, what brings you down here so early?" Ulysses wondered. He knew, of course, since she had been mumbling what she wanted to ask him for the past hour at the top of the stairs.

"Well uh, you weren't in your room so I figured you were down here. I-uh… had a question for you." Lucy said nervously as she walked out into the open. Ulysses crossed the gap and met her in the middle. He thanked the dank cellar for its cool air as the sweat on his back chilled.

"Let's hear it." Ulysses goaded. He noticed she was still carrying the dagger he gave her. It brought a smile to his face as Lucy bumbled with her words for a moment.

"Can, um… Will you teach me… sword fighting?" Lucy asked, nervously poking her fingers together. Ulysses grinned and summoned a sword into his hand. He handed it to her and Lucy looked between him and the sword in confusion.

"Sure. I'm gonna take a _stab _and say Erza and Kagura are too serious to be good teachers. Am I right?" Ulysses said. Lucy giggled at his pun and nodded.

"Exactly… so, um… what am I doing with this?" Lucy wondered. Ulysses poked the end of the sword and it slowly fell back and bonked Lucy on the head. It was duller than a wooden ball.

"Heavy, isn't it?" Ulysses questioned. Lucy pouted and nodded. "Exactly. So, before you learn anything at all, I want you to swing that thing at a dummy target until it feels light as a feather in your hand. Got it?"

"Uh… seriously?" Lucy wondered. She hefted the sword off her head and carefully rested it against the floor. Ulysses nodded with a cheeky but serious grin

"Yes. Swing until you're tired. Then rest, and then swing again. Don't worry about the sword. I've got a hundred of them. Dull practice swords, but they're heavy on purpose. Now then, I don't see you doing any swinging. Get to it!" Ulysses exclaimed and pushed Lucy off towards the training area of the Undercroft. She saluted and dragged the sword across the room.

"Yes sir! HYA!" Lucy yelled as she picked the sword up and whacked a training dummy across the head. Ulysses chuckled as the energy from her strike rebounded and she shuddered. But Lucy persisted and began thrashing the dummy like it would spill out money. Ulysses went back to the forge and picked up the axe he was working on. With a satisfied smile, he set to sharpening.

* * *

A few hours passed before Ulysses was bothered by more intruders in his forging dungeon. Erza and Kagura cautiously approached the forge and threw sidelong glances in Lucy's direction. The busty blond was still hammering on a dummy. Erza cleared her throat to gain Ulysses' attention as though he did not notice her. He raised a finger at her as he finished polishing a sword. After a few more passes of the cloth, he picked it up and slid it into a sheath. It was more than beautiful. A perfectly crafted broad sword with a flared pommel, upswept guard, and red leather handle. It was sheathed in a red leather scabbard. Wings were carved and formed into the metal of the guard and pommel. Ulysses turned around and walked up to Erza with the sword and handed it to her.

"Ulysses- Huh? Wow, this is a gorgeous sword…" Erza said, suddenly distracted by the weapon. Kagura glanced over her shoulder to eyeball the sword.

"Thanks. Took some effort to copy the style of your other swords, but I think I pulled it off. Give it a try when you get the chance." Ulysses said and continued off onto another project. Erza stopped examining the sword to stare in awe at him. She glanced down at the blade once more and then started stuttering.

"W-Wait, are you giving me this sword?" Erza wondered, completely in disbelief. Ulysses looked up from the knife in his hand and nodded.

"Yeah. Figured you might want one of my swords. You never ordered anything for yourself back when I had a shop. Just Kagura's dagger." Ulysses said and then continued to fiddle with the guard on the knife. The forge room was silent for a few moments before Erza let out a small squeal of joy.

"Kagura… I have a Hephaestus sword!" Erza exclaimed and the pair cheered before sharing a hug. Ulysses grinned as he fixed the knife. He glanced at the two as they hovered over the sword and examined it. But their joy was thoroughly murdered by the appearance of a rather angry Mira.

"What the hell are you two gawking at? Oh, did your boyfriend make you a sword? How sweet." Mira scorned as she approached. She shot a deathly glare at Ulysses as Erza turned into a red-faced, stammering mess.

"W-What!? B-B-Boyfriend!? N-No!" Erza stuttered. Mira snubbed her and turned her attention to the approaching Forge Master. Ulysses rammed the knife in his hand into a table and stepped between Erza and Mira.

"While I am many things, both despicable and respectable, I am not suited to being a boyfriend. So, Mirajane, what have you to whine about to me this time? Your absolute disgust and disdain for my existence? Or, maybe how my presence is an absolute affront to everything you believe in?" Ulysses wondered sarcastically. Mira's obviously annoyed attitude grew worse as he grew closer. Kagura took Erza away from the scene to calm her down.

"Both. And I want you out of here. Men have no place in Mermaid Heel. Erza is the same way, but you just had to go and bribe her, huh?" Mira wondered angrily. Ulysses glanced over at the utterly embarrassed and anxious Erza.

"Well, I wasn't trying to bribe Erza, but I hoped it might make her less antagonized by the very sight of me. Though I don't suppose I can do much in your case. You're hatred runs deep. A lost cause." Ulysses said with a smirk. Mira's rage overloaded and she tried to punch him. He simply ducked the blow and flicked her on the forehead rather hard. Mira whined in annoyance.

"Ouch… you son of a…" Mira growled as her magic flared. Ulysses smirked wryly and shrugged.

"Hey now, you were asking for it." Ulysses chuckled. Mira nearly burst a blood vessel with rage and was about to attack him when Ultear appeared next to them.

"Whoa, settle down you two. I see that you won't be satisfied until you prove your point, Mira." Ultear said as she drew Mira away from her source of wrath. Ulysses waved as she was pulled away. His provoking actions did little to help.

"Why don't you get it!? He isn't supposed to be here, he humiliated not only me, but Lisanna, Erza, Kagura, Millianna, and Juvia! He needs to be put in his place and needs to leave!" Mira protested. Ultear sighed and turned to Ulysses who had simply returned to his work. As if nothing else seemed to matter. Which, to him, was exactly the case.

"Ulysses, can you pay attention for a moment?" Ultear called to him. He gave her a thumb up.

"I'm listening." He responded simply. Ultear sighed at his antics.

"Ugh… well, I suppose there's only one way to resolve this. What do you two say about having a duel? Winner gets to decide the loser's fate. Sound good?" Ultear suggested. Mira was filled with vengeful delight at the thought. Ulysses on the other hand, had continued his work for several moments before registering Ultear's proposition.

"Uh, cool. Sure." Ulysses said from behind the wall of the forge's fire pit. He stood up with a hunk of steel and dusted it off. He eyeballed it as if it were already finished.

"Perfect! If you lose, you have to leave Mermaid Heel and never come back! Understood?" Mira yelled, pointing at Ulysses. He nodded halfheartedly and continued looking over the piece of metal.

"Though… I might win. Never really know until you try… But if I do, you'll find out your fate afterward." Ulysses said and set the piece of steel down on a table. Mira, while annoyed by his lackluster response, agreed with a nod. Ulysses rounded the forge and shook hands with Mira. Ultear cheered with both excitement and a small notion of fear for Ulysses' life.

"Great… I'll set up the court and you two get ready. And, Ulysses…?" Ultear said as he began walking back into the forge.

"Yeah?"

"I do hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

Ulysses quietly stood against the wall in the back of the arena in the Undercroft. It stood adjacent to the training area and just a few steps from his forge room. He calmly flipped through a small notebook. It held the various names and numbers of weapons and armors he kept in his collection. As the women of Mermaid Heel finished gathering around the edge, and a drunk woman finished with the betting, a barrier was raised to encapsulate Ulysses and Mira. He checked the betting board and noted how there was one bet under his misspelled name. It read 'Uliddies' in sloppy chalk writing.

_Really? Uliddies? Ah fuck it… better than Undies. _Ulysses thought as he closed his book and it vanished in a flash of magic. Ultear stood on the edge of the arena with a small flag and a magic counter began counting down on the barrier screen. Thirty seconds.

"I hope you're ready to get your ass kicked! _**Takeover: Satan Soul!" **_Mira yelled, transforming into her demonic magic form. Ulysses was impressed with her abilities. Now that he had a moment to inspect it up close he found it even more impressive than when he faced her before.

_Huh… that's actually very interesting… Shows a lot of cleavage though… and her stomach is exposed… And those boots cling to her thighs nicely. The tail is- Oh fuck no, I'm into it. _Ulysses stopped staring at Mira's oddly attractive form and focused on himself. He gathered his magic and cast some spells.

"I've got a few little tricks. You might've seen this one before, though. _**ReQuip: Northern Ward!" **_Ulysses said and the reflective shield appeared on his left arm.

"That won't help you when I smash it!" Mira yelled, her voice changed by her demonic form. Ulysses ignored how that made him feel and focused again.

_**"ReQuip: Long Arm of Sparta!" **_Ulysses called and a large spear appeared in his free hand. Orange symbols glowed in the spearhead and it was set ablaze with hot fire. With that he was mostly ready for battle. He raised Northern Ward and rested the spear atop it. Mira smirked and floated into the air. For a few seconds the air, the sounds, and even his vision slowed to a halt.

And then the countdown expired.

"Take this you two-faced pervert!" Mira yelled as she charged headlong at Ulysses. He considered the thought of completely blocking her attack, but as Mira descended on him she threw a vicious punch. In their split-second confrontation, a blast of magic sent Mira careening into the barrier and Ulysses still stood strong with spear and shield in hand.

"You're pretty quick for someone who isn't using all of his power." Mira commented as she rubbed the bruise on her side. It was shaped like the broadside of Ulysses' spearhead. He sighed and watched Mira carefully.

_I see. She isn't really offended by who I am. She doesn't think I'm to be trusted, which, I can't blame her for. _Ulysses thought as Mira readied herself to attack again. Though Ulysses was confused when Mira simply floated up and started to circle him. He followed her around the arena and kept his magic-reflecting shield pointed at her.

"I'm not going to do it. Don't try to coax it out of me." Ulysses said. His eyes suddenly widened and he flattened out on the ground as Mira appeared behind him, intent on kicking him in the spine. When her attack missed Mira tried smashing Ulysses into the ground, an attempt which failed as Ulysses rolled out of the way and swung his spear at her. But his effort was also in vain, as it seemed Mira had already adjusted for his ability and simply caught the shaft of the spear and stopped it.

"Are you sure?" Mira asked arrogantly. Ulysses cursed silently and his spear vanished in a flash of magic. He changed his fighting style in an instant; Northern Ward went securely onto his back on a harness and he summoned an arming sword in each hand. Mira smiled as his defense was now low and his attack much higher.

"I might be." Ulysses answered as he charged. Mira accepted his challenge and met him in head-on combat. Mira parried and dodged his sword blows while throwing attacks of her own. Ulysses simply dodged her attacks. His agility was more than a match for her power and speed. Eventually, the two were locked in a battle of strength as Mira's scaly hands held his swords fast and Ulysses struggled to release himself. But a smirk came on his face as he released his swords and Mira lost her balance. He spun and delivered a powerful kick to her stomach that sent her into the barrier. His swords vanished from her hands. Mira recovered quickly as he re-summoned his swords and charged. Ulysses ducked under her claws and twisted to deliver a sword blow, but his blade met air and he felt the unmistakable flow of magic gathering behind him. Mira purposefully struck the shield on his back with a magic-infused punch. The shield reflected the magic, but Ulysses was sent sprawling into the barrier.

"You're good for someone who isn't even as fast as Erza. I guess in a regular sword duel you'd win, but Erza would kick your ass with her armors and magic weapons." Mira said with a cocky grin as Ulysses coughed and dragged himself back to his feet. He wiped some spit from his mouth and chuckled. Then he rushed Mira. She grinned and flew to meet him in the middle but Ulysses had a plan. He slid under her flying form and used his swords to parry a powerful swipe from her tail. It effectively knocked him further away where he then released a sword and summoned another weapon.

_**"ReQuip: Long Arm of Sparta!" **_Ulysses yelled and hurled the spear at Mira with all his might. It blasted forward with a golden magic aura. It was so fast Mira barely had time to raise her guard. The spear struck true and an explosion of magic followed. The spear returned to Ulysses' hand and he stood on guard as the dust cleared. He smiled at the results his attack bore. Mira was a bit bruised and battered from the attack but was still standing. But that was only the effect from the initial attack.

"Ha, that was nothing… eh!?" Mira exclaimed as she found herself unable to move. She looked down and saw two ghastly and golden lions holding her down by her legs with their maws digging into her. She grunted in pain as their grip tightened.

"I can use magic weapons too. Not that well, but well enough. The Long Arm of Sparta comes with two effects; an unstoppable speed of attack and a secondary effect of pinning your target. But I think you'll like this one better. It only has one function." Ulysses explained as his weapons vanished and he built up power.

_**"ReQuip: Olympian Thunder!" **_Ulysses shouted as he summoned a sword in the shape of a lightning bolt and it began charging power. Mira grew worried as the grip the lion's had on her only continued to grow stronger as she fought it. She tried blasting the lions away but only managed to defeat one before Ulysses had charged his attack.

"How's this for magic? _**Olympian Thunder: Wrath of the Heavens!" **_Ulysses leaped into the air and brought the large sword down on Mira. The attack connected. Lightning and thunder erupted from the epicenter and rocked the whole arena. The explosion of lightning magic kicked up a smoke cloud and nearly nullified the barrier. When the dust cleared Ulysses was standing over Mira who was smashed into the ground, paralyzed, and had reverted her form. He breathed heavily as his weapons and shield vanished in a flash of magic. He felt some relief as the duel was certainly over.

_Fuck… I didn't think that'd work. She nearly escaped Leonidas's Lions… Shit! I ought to help her out of that. She's paralyzed. _Ulysses stooped down and pulled Mira out of the crushed ground as the barrier fell and he heard yells and some cheers. Mira stared at him through her paralysis as Ulysses lifted her into a bridal carry and met Wendy and Ultear as they rushed onto the field.

"Is she okay!?" Ultear asked worriedly as she looked Mira over. Ulysses took a breath and nodded slowly.

"Yeah, yes! She's okay… Just a bit banged up and paralyzed. I honestly… Honestly didn't want to hurt her too bad." Ulysses answered as he crouched down to let Wendy examine Mira. Ultear breathed a sigh of relief and patted Ulysses on the shoulder.

"She's endured worse, believe me. You didn't do anything Erza hasn't done tenfold." Ultear explained with a comforting grin. Ulysses nodded solemnly and watched closely as Mira's paralysis was lifted by Wendy's magic.

"Ah, got it! Think you can walk, Mirajane?" Wendy asked as Mira regained her motion. Mira nodded slowly and began wiggling. Ulysses tried to let her down but she stumbled on wobbly legs and he caught her before she fell over. Mira stared into Ulysses eyes as he slowly picked her back up.

"Whoa, you okay? Maybe you should rest for a bit." Ulysses suggested as he easily hefted Mira into his arms again.

"Yes, I agree. You might still have some lingering effects from being paralyzed. Ulysses, would you mind taking her to the infirmary with me?" Wendy asked. Ulysses nodded and started following Wendy towards the staircase. They passed the very shocked and upset populace of Mermaid Heel while Lucy collected a huge pile of money from them. Ulysses grinned as he now knew who bet on him.

_Isn't that something…?_

* * *

Ulysses slowly laid Mira down on a bed Wendy prepared and his muscles relaxed with the weight off of them. He relaxed on the seat next to the bed as Wendy began using her magic on Mira again. Ulysses sighed as he looked over the damage he caused. An image entered his mind. A vaporized skeleton laying on blackened marble haunted his mind's eye before he shook the image away with violent intensity.

_Gods… a traumatic flashback just from that? Ugh… _Ulysses stood up and rubbed his eyes. Instead of focusing on Mira he focused on Erza and Kagura as they entered the room. Erza dragged Ulysses coat behind her and tried throwing it to him but it simply flopped a foot in front of her on the floor.

"Jeez. It was like that when we first encountered you. What's in this coat?" Erza asked as she lifted it up. Ulysses walked over and plucked it from her hands like it weighed nothing. He threw it on and sighed.

"Excluding ten knives? Lead." Ulysses answered. The girls shared a look of disbelief. Erza poked his arm on the coat and retracted her finger with a shocked visage.

"There is something thick under the wool. Why is your coat lined with lead?" Erza asked. Ulysses knew he should try to answer semi-honestly and did so to an extent.

"Well, it acts like a big training weight. It weighs about one hundred and fifty pounds. So I tend to move faster when I take it off." Ulysses explained as he dusted his coat off and checked for all his knives.

"That's right… you did remove your coat when you fought us. I thought you just didn't want to ruin it." Kagura said. She too had poked at him and felt the weighty metal under the wool of his coat. She suddenly blushed and removed her hand when she saw Ulysses watching her. Confused but still engaged Ulysses ignored her behavior.

"Yeah. It made it easier to move but I don't usually need to remove it," Ulysses said. "But, that aside, did you come up here to see Mira?"

"Not particularly," Erza said which earned her a glare from Mira. "Like Master said, she's endured worse. We actually wanted to know if you could go on a quest with us." Ulysses sighed and rolled some of the soreness out of his shoulders.

"I suppose… That was part of the deal with Ultear… Alright, when're we off?" Ulysses asked. Kagura handed him a flyer with a very urgent notice written haphazardly on it.

"Right away. It's an emergency quest of sorts. We were going to ask right before someone interrupted and challenged you." Kagura said with a tone of annoyance. She also received a fiery glare from the bedridden woman. Ulysses glanced between the three girls and resisted his urge to sigh.

"Off we go then, out of here. Fuckin' hooray…" Ulysses grumbled and ushered the swordswomen out. He was about to close the door when he heard his name whispered on the air.

"Ulysses…"

"Hmm?" He peered back inside to see Mira sitting up with a groggy look in her eyes. She stared him down. He stared back without a sense of doom and loathing accompanying her gaze. She suddenly cracked a small smile and gave him a thumb up.

"You're not so bad… I guess. Certainly caught me off guard. Sorry I accused you of being a pervert…" Mira trailed off, barely audible. But Ulysses could hear her words. His ears always helped him but sometimes let him hear things he'd wished never to hear again. But Mira's whispers were a welcome surprise. Ulysses blushed and broke eye contact.

"Sure… Well, feel better." Ulysses said and tried to leave again. But he was thwarted once more.

"Wait," Mira called. Ulysses peeked in once more and Mira's cheeks were dusted with pink. He groaned internally. "What do you plan to do with me, like we agreed?"

"Heh…" Ulysses chuckled. "You'll find out when I get back. Later!" He shut the door before Mira could protest and she was commanded by Wendy to settle down. Ulysses grinned as he turned to descend the stairs after Erza and Kagura. They awaited him at the doors to the guildhall.

"What's that smile for?" Erza asked.

"Ah, nothing. I just like having fun sometimes."

* * *

Ulysses summoned a pair of arming swords onto his hips as they approached an almost abandoned town. If not for the speared-through corpses hanging from the gate entrance, Ulysses would have assumed the town truly was abandoned. But in his experience, marauders tended to mark their territory in rather brutal and extravagant manners. Erza and Kagura turned their eyes from the dead and focused on the town before them. Ulysses could tell it bothered them. Death. If he had to guess, at some point during the chaos of survival and pursuit of freedom, he became relatively numb to death in some instances. Others, not so much. It was never the death that bothered him, it was when he was the cause of death that did.

"Don't pay attention to that right now. But that right there… it means these bastards will kill us without a second thought." Ulysses advised as they passed under the gates. The girls heeded his words but found little comfort it them.

"When the flyer said bandits had moved in… I didn't expect this…" Kagura said, repulsion palpable in her tone. Ulysses sighed silently.

"War does… inexplicable things to the people affected by it. Sometimes those who refrained from killing will kill without discretion. Sometimes those who have never lied will turn into pathological liars. Sometimes… it turns men into silent monsters." Ulysses said quietly as they made their way up the main drag of the town. The scent of blood and death hung heavy in the air, and the pairs of eyes poking out through broken windows and cracked doors were few and far-between. They approached the mayor's mansion to find a large group of marauders feasting and partying out front. Their revelry ceased upon noticing Ulysses, Erza, and Kagura.

"Well, well, well, look here Mr. Mayor," a large man said as he stood up from a recliner chair. He picked up what was his footrest and pointed the poor man at the Mermaids and Ulysses. The mayor's eyes lit up upon seeing them. "Some poor sod has come bearing gifts!"

"No, no! Those are the wizards I hired! Wizards! Please save my town!" the mayor pleaded, waving around in the marauder's grasp. The man growled and dropped the mayor on the ground.

"You rat! We've treated you so well and this is how you repay us!?" the marauder yelled. The mayor yelped and scurried away from the man, only to be caught by the other ill-folk that surrounded the square.

"I'm sorry Mr. Badscythe but you killed my people!" the mayor yelled. Badscythe approached the mayor and drew a large, curved blade off his back. He leveled it with the mayor's neck and growled.

"Hey," attention was drawn to Ulysses as he approached the group. Two of the bandits tried to stop him but were immediately decapitated. Badscythe and the other bandits took a step back from Ulysses. "You move that sword another inch and I'll kill you where you stand."

"Ulysses!" Erza exclaimed and tried to approach him. But, surprisingly, Kagura held her back a moment.

"Erza… we have to be careful." Kagura said, reminding her adopted sister. Erza, still angered by Ulysses' actions, submitted to the wisdom he gave them. They watched on as Badscythe held steady and his men began drawing their weapons.

"Ha! Like I'm afraid of one asshole and his entourage of whore-" Badscythe was cut off as a sword pierced his throat and he dropped dead on the spot. Ulysses lowered his hand, now one sword short, and his eyes were narrow with anger.

"Just because you didn't move doesn't mean you can call my companions whores, you sack of shit…" Ulysses growled. His voice carried both malice and an icy disposition. The marauders stumbled and gasped in shock as Ulysses re-summoned the sword he threw and whipped the blood off of it. Silence pervaded for a moment before someone yelled.

"HE KILLED THE BOSS! GET HIM!" one of the marauders yelled. They all suddenly burst into action and charged Ulysses who was more than ready for them. He started dodging and parrying, slashing and stabbing, doing his best not to land too many fatal wounds. Soon enough he was supported as some of the bandits were slammed into the ground.

_**"Gravity Change!" **_Kagura shouted and charged the group she had downed. Ulysses suddenly ducked as a flurry of swords came flying over his head. He turned to regard Erza as she cast a spell.

_**"ReQuip: Heaven's Wheel!" **_Erza yelled as she changed into another armor with a multitude of swords at her disposal. Impressed but also oppressed, Ulysses dodged some of his foes and watched as they were cut down by Erza's swords. The pair of swordswomen seemed to have the situation under control without his help. But the sudden appearance of a few more bandits from beyond the mayor's mansion warranted a response from him.

"I'll get their reinforcements!" Ulysses shouted and dashed off around the fight to meet the group of reinforcements. He surprised them with his sudden speed and appearance and managed to cut down several of them before he met resistance.

"Rock-Law, get him!" one of the bandits yelled before Ulysses could slice his throat. But as the man fell before him, the stone and earth around him rose up to attack. Ulysses leaped out of the way and located the man controlling the magical earth. A green-haired man with large hands was hunched over the ground. His fingers were digging into the stonework.

"You can't run, little man." Rock-Law said as the ground burst open and a huge mouth of sharp stone rocketed from the fissure. Ulysses landed next to a building that was ripped asunder as he dodged the wizard's attack. He heard screams as the town's survivors cleared out of the buildings and ran from the fight. The ground continued to break and rip as Ulysses tried to flank the mage. His fight took him towards Kagura and Erza, both of whom easily avoided Rock-Law's attacks with their magic.

"Oh, lucky you two. I'm stuck on the ground! Kick his ass before he bites mine off!" Ulysses yelled as more sharp stones tried to bite and snatch him. Erza and Kagura heeded his words and rushed Rock-Law. But the sudden appearance of another mage surprised all three of them.

"Jam-Dam, kill the girls. I want the little boy." Rock-Law said as a very flamboyant man appeared from seemingly nowhere. He wore a sparkly blue suit and had an orange pompadour.

"Gladly, Rock, but with Badscythe dead I'm in charge now." Jam-Dam said with a smile. Ulysses watched with horror as Kagura's gravity magic stopped letting her float and she plummeted to the ground. Erza suddenly fell as well and changed back into her normal armor.

_Fuck me sideways! An earth-magic user and a mage who can cancel other magic? _Ulysses thought as he felt his spatial magic become disconnected. He dodged another attack from Rock-Law but realized he was being herded into a trap. Ulysses cursed silently as a dome of stone and dirt encapsulated him in darkness.

"FUCK! HEY! ERZA, KAGURA!" Ulysses yelled. He heard the yells and cries of struggle from both girls. But Ulysses was not only trapped. He was unleashed. He started glowing and letting off a dim light. Enough for him to make out the walls of his prison. They were slowly closing in on him. Ulysses rammed his swords into the ground out of anger.

"FUCK!" He yelled. The dome grew smaller as the sounds of struggle outside grew weaker and less apparent. Ulysses glowed brighter. It colored the dome in a greenish-yellow tinge.

_Gods-dammit! I can't let them die out there! Their magic is jammed… but so is mine… and now I'm uncorked… wait… No! I can't use it! It's too dangerous! But… _Ulysses heard a scream. One that sickened him to the core. He raged against the walls of his prison, but they retaliated and slammed him against the ground. He boiled in both rage and pure heat. The ground under him heated up. And as his anger built up, he felt part of his magic reconnect. But he could not summon any weapons. No, his _other _magic was connected. It seemed that Jam-Dam failed to realize Ulysses was more than just a _**ReQuip **_user.

"I can't…" Ulysses mumbled. Another bone chilling scream sounded. And another. He felt the ground rumble and shake. Screams. His mind flashed through horrid images of charged, boiled, mangled, and crushed bodies. The glow he emitted became brighter.

"I can't!"

Screaming.

"I CAN'T!"

More screams.

Ulysses screamed.

* * *

Erza blocked another hit from Jam-Dam while Kagura did her best to dodge Rock-Law. Without their magic, the girls were nearly powerless against the men. Despite both of them being wounded, they held their own. Kagura rolled to dodge an attack, only to fall victim to another. She screamed as a pair of rock jaws grabbed her.

"KAGURA!" Erza yelled, clashing swords with Jam-Dam. He smiled and threw another knife into Erza's exposed leg. She screamed and drop to her knees. Their adversaries chuckled, their minds confident they would win this fight. Erza glared at them until she was knocked down by an explosion. An explosion that leveled the dome and the mansion next to it. From the dust of the explosion came Ulysses, glowing brightly with a white aura, and his face was twisted with wrath and urgency.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Ulysses screamed as he crashed into Jam-Dam, knocking the man down while simultaneously running him through with a sword. As the magic-jamming wizard fell, Erza felt her magic return and she shifted into her Purgatory Armor. With the massive mace, she shattered the stone holding Kagura and slammed it into Rock-Law, who was frozen in shock and surprise.

"I… I thought… you were a _**ReQuip **_mage…" Jam-Dam mumbled weakly to Ulysses as the sword was pulled from his chest. The powerful aura surrounding Ulysses that whipped his hair and coat around died down. He breathed heavily as he dug the heel of his boot into Jam-Dam's wound. The man screamed.

"You thought wrong and died for it." Ulysses responded as the last of the man's life left him. Erza helped a wounded but alive Kagura up and they joined Ulysses by Jam-Dam's corpse. Ulysses' swords vanished and he stepped away from the body. Erza glanced back at the dome that had entrapped him. Pieces of stone were lodged in near-by buildings that had not been leveled by the explosion. Kagura was equally curious as to what could have possibly leveled an entire block of the town. Ulysses did not face them. Neither did he speak another word. He merely summoned a large medical pack and tossed it to them.

"Ulysses-" Erza stopped as Ulysses simply walked away to examine the rubble he seemingly created. She watched as he began digging through parts of the destroyed building and stone with his bare hands. While she was confused, Erza focused her attention on Kagura and the medical supplies Ulysses gave them. Erza sat down with Kagura and began rummaging through the bag.

"Erza… are you okay?" Kagura asked as she examined Erza's wounds. They shared a look and began giggling.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Erza said with a smile. Kagura nodded and smiled back. They took out bandages and alcohol and began tending to their wounds. All the while Ulysses still rummaged through the rubble. The surviving townsfolk, including the mayor, began making their way out into the streets to examine the damage to their town. Two young women rushed to Erza and Kagura's aid.

"Oh my! You two are hurt pretty bad! Here, let us help." One of the women said as she and her friend began helping the Mermaids dress their wounds.

"My sister and I are the town doctors. We'll get you patched up!" the other woman said with a bright smile. The townspeople began gathering around and sharing hugs, cheers, and sighs of celebration and relief. They came and started thanking Erza and Kagura. The mayor also approached with weary eyes and a tired limp to his step.

"My, am I ever so grateful you two showed up when you did… Ah, wait, there was a man with you, wasn't there?" The mayor wondered. Erza nodded and pointed at Ulysses who continued to dig through the rubble of the mayor's house.

"Yes, there he is. Thank him. He helped us more than we could help ourselves…" Erza said, the image of Ulysses bursting with power still fresh in her mind.

"I thought Mermaid Heel was a women-only guild?" one of the doctors said as she bandaged Erza's arm. Kagura shared a nervous glance with Erza.

"Um…"

"It's an experiment. Joint operation of sorts… Don't worry about it. I'm not in their guild." Ulysses suddenly answered from afar. He turned to face them with his glowing eyes. Erza swore she saw a sense of relief in his eyes. But his visage scared her. Kagura physically shuddered when she locked eyes with him.

"Oh… well in that case… I guess it was good you came along, young man." The mayor said with a smile. Ulysses approached and sat down on a hill of rubble. He fell silent again and the townsfolk left him to his own devices. Erza found herself worrying about him.

* * *

Kagura winced as alcohol was applied to her leg wound. She looked at where she had been trapped not minutes ago and then to the man who sat on the rubble pile. She found herself wondering about him.

_How did he do that? All I saw was a blast and then he appeared. _Kagura thought. She had seen him scrounging through the rubble, almost by instinct, and the dead look on his face despite the relief in his eyes. Did his eyes glow?

_I hope he's okay… He must've used that power he doesn't talk about. Ulysses… _Kagura thought. And it was as though he heard her thoughts. Ulysses' ear twitched and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She could see remorse in his gaze.

_Ulysses…_

* * *

Ulysses looked back down at the ground. His torment did not cease with the knowledge that there were no innocent casualties. No, it pervaded, clawed, and became an unrelenting scream of agony in his mind. It ripped and writhed as a violent serpent of evil. Memories of chaos, death, destruction plagued his mind's eye. Just as they did before he unleashed his power to break free. A storm of horror and guilt that clouded and pained his whole being. He had sworn. He had made an oath. Yet he was consistently breaking that oath. As though he had not a shred of honor left. Someone said something to him. He did not hear them.

"Ulysses." Erza's voice broke his stupor. Ulysses slowly looked up into her deep brown eyes. She gave him a small smile and rested a hand on his shoulder. Kagura stood next to her with a similar smile.

"Thank you. I'm not sure if we would have managed without you." Erza said. Ulysses felt a small weight lift itself from his heart. Kagura nodded and gently took one of his hands.

"Yes, thank you. And Ulysses…" Kagura trailed off. Ulysses glanced at her and felt his heart skip and beat strong again as she smiled at him. Her grip on his hand was comforting. "We're here for you, if anything is bothering you. Truly."

"Huh…" Ulysses said, bowing his head. He slowly gripped Kagura's hand as he hid his tears. He inhaled deeply.

"T-Thanks…"

* * *

**What secrets lie in wait for the future? What kind of devastating power is stored within our protagonist?**

**Find out next time! Thanks guys.**

**See you next time with Bonds.**


	4. Forged In Iron

Chapter Four

Forged In Iron

Ulysses managed to slink away when he returned to Mermaid Heel with Erza and Kagura. He wanted no part of their guild mates asking about the battle. And he certainly did not want to answer any more questions directed at him. But when he slipped into the Undercroft and made his way to the forge, his last bastion of peace and serenity, he was hindered by an expectant Mira.

"There you are. I was wondering when you three would get back. So what's this fate you have in store for me?" Mira asked as Ulysses entered the forge and tossed his coat on a stool. He sighed at the woman's relentlessness and held up a brick of steel that had been laying on the table. Mira eyeballed it curiously.

"This piece of steel is your fate for losing the duel." Ulysses said cryptically and tiredly. He set the ingot down and then lit the forge. Mira, still bewildered, stepped up to him and grabbed his shirt.

"Alright you nutcase, what the hell does a hunk of steel have to do with losing the duel!? That doesn't make sense!" Mira exclaimed angrily. Ulysses calmly grabbed her hand and she released him when he did so. Swearing on all things holy that he saw her cheeks turn pink, Ulysses went on to explain. Mira stared into his expressionless eyes.

"Well, your impatience is not helping you find out. And because of that, I think I'll add another parameter to your sentence. Go upstairs and wait four hours then come back down here and see me. That's part of your fate for losing the duel." Ulysses ordered and ushered Mira out of the forging floor. She begrudgingly accepted his terms and slowly made her way upstairs. He smiled seeing her honor her end of the bargain. It made him feel again for a time.

_She's similar to Adel that way. Impatient and upfront but always a good person. _Ulysses thought as he watched the forge burn and placed the steel inside. The heat was both soothing and upsetting. While forging his mind was occupied. But while waiting, waiting for the steel to heat, his mind raced. The memory of the fight with the marauders was fresh and haunting.

_Something far more sinister is going on here. That jamming-magic… far too familiar to forget. Magic Lock, a technique employed by the Assyrians to lock up magic users during battles. Effective, for a time. It allows up to four locks, one per mage. I should've learned it when I had the chance. Lock users can cancel each other's abilities, creating a stalemate. _Ulysses watched the steel come to temperature. It was time to forge. He picked up his tongs and hammer. His shirt vanished in a flash of magic as the heat from the forge burned ever hotter.

_A sword…? An axe? Hmm, what are you? _He began hammering. The steel began taking shape. While he hammered, another piece was heating in the forge. Time passed and the metal took on the shape of a long and powerful blade. He put the metal back into the forge to reheat. He then turned the other piece into several parts for the weapon he was building. But then, he was left with his thoughts once more.

_I have a bad feeling that my enemies are influencing this part of the world more than I realize. I'll have to ask Ultear to bring me up to date on the events around us. This may be worse than I ever imagined. _He stared at the hot metal. White flashes repeated themselves in his mind's eye.

_I just hope I never have to use that power again… _He pulled the metal from the forge and started to finish the shape. Sounds of voices from beyond the Undercroft entrance reached him but no one entered the croft. He was simply alone. Something he was more than used to. He liked the solitude.

_I've also been seen in public too much. Those Assyrians had a good sketch of me. I'll have to start hiding more often. But luckily no one knows for certain that I'm in this hall. I need to be more careful or else those bastards are going to find me here. And put the girls in danger… _Ulysses finished hammering the blade and quenched it. The sizzle of hot steel turning cold relaxed his mind. When pulled from the oil, the blade was straight and narrow with two loops attached to the back. He set about grinding an edge and polishing it. Time passed as he procured a handle and began piecing the weapon together.

"Just let us see him. He seriously helped us out!" voices beyond the door became more apparent as the door opened. Down the stairs came the still bandaged Erza and Kagura followed by an annoyed Mira and concerned Ultear. Ulysses glanced up from his work to regard them before going back to sharpening the weapon. As the four women approached they each grew curious about the weapon in his hands.

"Wait… you were making something this whole time?" Mira wondered. Ulysses nodded as he carved his insignia into the blade and stood with it. It was a large Lochaber Axe with an elegant wood handle that held the ferocious blade and a spiked counterweight on the bottom. He approached Mira and handed it to her. She accepted the weapon and he went back to clean up the mess he made in the forge. The four were somewhat bewildered.

"Ulysses… are you okay? Erza told me about what happened." Ultear said as she approached the stoic blacksmith. He nodded and wiped himself down with a towel.

"Is… is this for me?" Mira wondered, glancing between Ulysses and the axe. He nodded again. He truly did not feel like speaking very much. The women looked between themselves and then smiled at Ulysses. Mira smiled widely and started giggling.

"What's so funny?" Erza asked.

"He said a piece of steel was part of my punishment for losing the duel… and he made a weapon out of it for me. You're an odd guy, Ulysses." Mira giggled and held the axe close to herself. Ulysses smiled slightly.

"Aw, that's sweet. Maybe the big bad blacksmith has a soft spot for us." Ultear commented with a sultry smile directed at Ulysses. The heat from the forge was not the only thing that made him sweat.

"I think so… Ulysses, that sword you made… It was amazing. Despite losing my magic, it held strong in that fight. Thank you." Erza said. Said sword hung from her side. One she did not put away with magic. Ulysses nodded again. But his body had another thought and decided his cheeks weren't red enough. So he turned away to try and figure out which project he had been working on before they pulled him away.

"Oh? I think you made him blush, Erza." Ultear said. Ulysses could feel her sly grin through the back of his head.

"W-What!? No I just- I only wanted to thank him! Nothing more!" Erza said, clearly flustered. Ultear laughed quietly. Ulysses sighed and stooped down behind the forge to check his metal inventory.

"I should thank him too…" Mira said and slowly made her way around the forge. Ulysses sensed her come up behind him but did not expect what came next. A soft sensation was pressed into his back and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck. He glanced up to see Mira looming over him slightly. His heartbeat picked up tenfold.

"Mira…?" Ulysses finally spoke. She smiled at him as the hug lasted for a moment before she let him go and walked away. She left the Undercroft altogether with her new weapon in hand, leaving Erza, Kagura, and Ultear shocked by her actions.

"Wow… I've never seen Mira hug anyone other than Lisanna… and never a man. Wonder what brought that on?" Ultear said. Ulysses on the other hand was absolutely confused and somewhat excited.

_That's… different. Kinda nice, actually. I guess she accepts me a bit more that I thought. I suppose I should be happy these girls are slowly warming up to me. _Ulysses slowly stood up as Erza and Kagura went off after Mira. Presumably to answer the question lingering in Ultear's mind as well as Ulysses'.

"Well… in any case, Ulysses, I have some bad news…" Ultear sighed as she approached the forge. Ulysses breathed a heavy sigh himself and kicked back on a stool. "It looks like your enemies are moving faster than ever. The Assyrians have brought your identity and 'crimes' to the eyes and ears of the Magic Council as well as the Queen. The Fiore Army is engaging the Hittite invaders in the north of Fiore. The Hittites took over both Seven and Bosco and are occupying them."

"They have a massive army. Well equipped, well trained… but it has faults. And what about the ports around Fiore?" Ulysses wondered. The Mermaid Master sighed and held up an orb. Ulysses rose a brow and peered into the orb. Suddenly a picture appeared to him and he saw the seas lined with yellow lion sails to the north and red eagle sails ported all over the south.

"The southern counties are patrolled by and are hosting the Assyrians. But apparently rumor has it that a small contingent of Far Easterners are trying to be hosted by Bellum and the Pergrande Kingdom." Ultear explained. The orb showed Ulysses everything she was talking about. He sighed until the image of several men in white silk clothes, turbans, and green steel breastplates appeared before him. Most of them wielded yatagan swords. A few carried bows and even fewer were on horses with more regalia than the others who carried kijil swords.

"Zoom in on that bearded fellow on the horse." Ulysses said aggressively. Ultear, surprised by his sudden energy, complied and the image of the man was enhanced.

"Zagarji-bashi Omar Asuman…" Ulysses whispered. He suddenly summoned up a piece of paper and a pen. With fervor he started writing. Ultear watched with interest.

_Zagarji-bashi, these are words of the throne. The land of magic awaits. Between the seas it lies, the peak of the land. Come forth. Search thusly; the home of the Sea Women, knock upon the door and ask for the Smith. _Ulysses folded the paper and tossed a piece of wax into a small iron cup. He set it on the edge of the forge and waited for it to melt. When it did, he poured a drop on the letter and summoned a stamp. When stamped on, it left a star and crescent moon in the wax.

"This. I need this to get to that man on the horse." Ulysses said quickly. Ultear was still somewhat bewildered and utterly curious but nodded at his behest and gestured for him to follow. Ulysses put a shirt on and walked with Ultear out of the Undercroft. They slipped past the busy main hall and went up to her office. Once inside Ultear opened a window and whistled.

"Here… this old girl will do it in a few days." Ultear said as a raven with white tipped wings appeared on the window sill.

"A raven? Isn't that the messenger of the Nordmen's death god?" Ulysses wondered as he inspected the bird. It cawed softly and showed off the small backpack it wore. He grinned at the adorable bird and placed his sealed letter in the pack.

"Yes… she is. But she works for me as well. Okay, Hani, go find this man." Ultear said as she showed the raven the man on the horse in the orb. With what appeared to be a nod and a wink, Hani jumped out the window and took off into the air. Ulysses let out a breath of relieved anxiety as Ultear closed the window and her orb vanished.

"Thank you… But I'd have expected you to question my methods before helping me." Ulysses said as he relaxed in one of the chairs. Ultear giggled and sat down on her desk's corner. Her fishnet covered thighs squished out under her weight. Ulysses kept his mind on task. Ultear certainly took note of his line of sight, though.

"Well, I could see it was important when you recognized that man. And a sealed letter told me all I need to know. You're an important man. And he must be an ally if you sent him such a letter." Ultear said confidently. Ulysses was impressed by her deduction skills. But she pried no further than that, despite the curiosity in her eyes. He thanked the lord and relaxed a bit more. She proved trustworthy to him.

"Mhm… he is. If you have done your research, you'd know who these three empires have been feuding with for the past millennia. And you'd recognize the regalia of those men." Ulysses said, attempting to test his host's knowledge of history and the world. Ultear giggled and nodded. She gave Ulysses a sultry smile and leaned down close to his face.

"Yes, I have, Mister Ottoman. Your name is a bit of a giveaway, too. So, what was your place in the Empire? Lord? General? Nobleman? Or maybe a Prince?" Ultear wondered as she slid off the desk and leaned on the arms of the chair. Ulysses sank deeper into the leather cushions as Ultear grew closer than he might have appreciated.

"You'll find out when the Janissary commander arrives… but might you explain why you're so close?" Ulysses asked as Ultear slowly started to sink down. She suddenly straddled him on the chain and held his hands down on the arms. Her seductive smile made him nervous.

"I said it before… Ulysses. You're an attractive man. And foreign men are just so… exotic. I hear you're people are also polygamist and a bit promiscuous. Is that true?" Ultear whispered as she leaned into Ulysses. He felt himself reacting to her close presence and he realized just how soft and squishy she appeared to be. He had no knives in the front of his pants but something was straining quite heavily against them.

_Oh hell no… is she trying to seduce me? WHY? WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!? _Ulysses thought between panicked breaths and fighting his instincts. He blushed heavily as Ultear pushed her plump chest against him and felt her hot breath on his ear. Her hands snaked up his arms and gripped his biceps.

"Such a powerful man. Your muscles are tight from swinging that hammer… let me relax them." Ultear whispered as she rubbed his arms. Ulysses was slowly losing sanity as she continued small, gentle ministrations on him. She then bit his earlobe gently and tugged.

"Fuck… Ultear… What are you doing?" Ulysses finally choked out. She giggled and leaned back, taking hold of one of his hands and placing it upon her chest. She moaned quietly when Ulysses instinctively squeezed her breast. He cursed himself and tried to pull away but Ultear was surprisingly strong.

"I haven't had a man in a long time. Can you believe that? Six years of running this guild, nothing throughout it. Can you really blame me when a hot boy drops himself into my guild and is a sweetheart to boot?" Ultear wondered as she started moving on top of him. Ulysses was nearly in a full-blown panic. Ultear's wondrous honey scent was overloading his sinuses and her soft body was shooting shockwave after shockwave of pleasurable sensations through his own.

_Ah hell no… as much as I'd like to, there are more important things to worry about. I should tell her what I witnessed with those marauders. That'll break her… weird fixation. _Ulysses thought as he struggled to sit back up and pull away from Ultear. She giggled at his struggle but his strength prevailed and he managed to push her nearly all the way off. He then held her at arm's length and stared at her with a flushed but grave façade.

"Ultear… there are more important things. Such as the almost coincidental appearance of a Magic Lock user." Ulysses started as his heart rate receded and Ultear pouted at him.

"Humph, you're no fun." Ultear whined. Ulysses sighed and did his best to reduce the strenuous sensation in his pants. He cleared his throat and tried to focus. His instincts were still screaming at him.

"Neither was what happened to your girls. They told you about the fight, right?" Ulysses asked. She nodded and he sighed. "Well, the wizard who blocked their magic was a Magic Lock user. It's a type of Anti-magic ability developed by the Assyrians and the Hittites about one hundred years ago."

"Wait, are you saying…?" Ultear trailed off as the realization hit her. Ulysses nodded and released her.

"They must be releasing some of their soldiers or even mercenaries into Fiore in some attempt to draw me out. Or it's possible they're trying to take over from the inside out. Either way, it's a dangerous game we're playing. It's getting worse." Ulysses said. His overwhelming sense of dread about the situation did not sit well with him. It wrenched his gut in two and smashed it.

"That certainly tangles us up even more in this web. I don't want to abandon you, but these last two incidents have me feeling very nervous, Ulysses. What do you suggest we do?" Ultear asked as she repositioned herself to simply resting on his lap. While he was still slightly uncomfortable by her proximity to him, Ulysses managed to settle himself down.

"I assume you've made sure word doesn't get out that I'm here, right?" Ulysses asked. She nodded. "Then the best thing for now, if you wish to continue this, is that I have to stay out of sight and avoid unnecessary contact. But I can't hide away in your basement. I need every opportunity to slip away and go north."

"Hmm, I understand. And now that the Queen is under the impression you're a criminal, you need to stay hidden now more than before. At least you can fight your enemies. Hisui would send the wizard guilds after you." Ultear said thoughtfully. Ulysses sighed at the thought of fighting _more _wizards.

"After what your girls put me though, I think I'll pass on that." Ulysses deadpanned. Ultear giggled at him and pinched his cheek.

"Aw, they won't do it again. You're too cute." Ultear teased. Ulysses batted her hand away and felt himself blush. She giggled again and then got up. She looked out the window and yawned as the sun was slowly setting. "But, I think it's about time to go to bed. I'll do my paperwork tomorrow."

"Isn't that important for the guild?" Ulysses wondered as he was baffled by Ultear's laziness. She shrugged and ruffled the hair on his head.

"Kinda. Don't worry about it. Why don't you go get some sleep? You haven't slept since you got here." Ultear said as he followed her out of the office. Ulysses chuckled.

"I know. But doesn't the time Erza knocked me out count?" he asked with a sarcastic grin. Ultear shook her head as they walked up to a pair of double doors down the hall from her office. Ulysses' grin fell as he noticed the number printed on the door.

_Wait a second… _He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. It read 'Room Two Twenty Four' on it. The door read Two Twenty Four.

"You should get some sleep. Come on." Ultear said as she opened the door. She pulled him in by his hand and Ulysses felt his blood run dry as realization set in. Ultear had given him the key to her own room.

"I just wouldn't die, would I?"

* * *

Nightfall had come. It was the first time Ulysses had tried to sleep in five days. He knew he had to. His abilities only allowed for one hundred and twenty hours of uninterrupted consciousness. He was nearing on the hundred and nineteenth hour. Not that it upset him. It was not nearly as exhausting as trying to live through his own dreams. Or more correctly, nightmares. But he was having a hard time finding the sandman. Part of his impending insomnia was because he was in an unfamiliar place. But the real problem he was having was the sweet-scented Ultear pressed up against his left side. He swore she wasn't wearing anything.

_I really wonder how I managed to end up here. Anyone else would have simply thrown me to the wolves. Or more rightly, savages. But here she is, the master of a women's only guild, holding onto the most dangerous man in the world. I wonder why…_

Ultear squeaked quietly in her sleep as she relaxed and snaked her hand onto his chest. Ulysses kept himself calm and tried to enjoy the foreign sensation of having someone sleeping next to him.

_And she seems to trust me enough to simply sleep next to me. Without worry. So jarring. How can she possibly be comfortable? I just hope my temporary sealing spell is enough to protect her. She didn't give me much choice. Magically trying to reverse one of my swords with time magic is fucking stupid._

Again the beautiful woman next to him shifted and her leg was now intertwined with his. Ulysses did his best to not focus on how that felt against him. But after a moment she shifted, grumbled, and he watched her eyes flutter open. His night vision did little to help him fall asleep, either.

"Ulysses?" Ultear asked tiredly as she sat up. The sheet fell and Ulysses was glaringly aware that his hypothesis from a moment ago was right. She slept naked.

"G-Go back to sleep." Ulysses choked out as he tried not to stare at her. He failed to mention his enhanced night vision to her. The last thing he needed was her being angry with him at such an inopportune moment.

"Why are you still awake? Is it hard for you to fall asleep?" Ultear asked as she lounged next to him. She started tracing his face with her finger. The sudden yet relaxing sensation was enough to divert his mind from thinking about her body.

"Yes. Very. My… condition allows for one hundred and twenty hours of wakefulness. That doesn't mean it's easy to sleep when the time comes, though." Ulysses said quietly. Ultear smiled and continued her ministrations.

"Do bad memories keep you up, too?" She asked suddenly. Ulysses looked over and locked eyes with her.

"Too?" he wondered.

"Mm hmm, I've had a few sleepless nights myself. So it's okay. You can tell me if something is bothering you." Ultear said sweetly. An old feeling tore its way into Ulysses' body. Empathy and a slight need. Something he thought he lost a long time ago. He felt himself wanting to reach out. He wanted to reach out and be held. But he resisted.

_Why? I… I barely know her… or anyone else here for that matter._

"Ulysses." He turned his head to stare into her eyes again. Ultear smiled warmly. "Don't be afraid. Just like my girls, I want to help you. You're safe."

"Huh…" Ulysses' voice cracked. He slowly leaned in and Ultear put her arms around him. She pushed his head into her bust and slowly stroked his hair. They fell silent as Ulysses finally felt relaxed. For once in a long time he felt safe. Comfortable. Slowly but surely he passed beyond the threshold of reality and into the darkness of sleep.

* * *

_"What have you done?"_

Mangled corpses. Decapitated bodies. Incinerated skeletons. People trapped in rubble crying out for help. The smell of decay, burnt flesh, dust, and blood. And the tactile sensation of high-energy particles bouncing around. This is what Ulysses saw, smelled, and felt in his dreams. This time, as he kneeled in the epicenter, he wondered who called out to him.

_"What have you done?"_

Normally he would be screaming, crying out for help. But something was keeping him calm.

_ I've done no wrong._

It was true. He had done nothing. But maybe it was just as bad to do nothing as it was to do something. He did not stop them. He followed his father's orders. That was all.

_"You've neither helped, nor hindered your father's blasphemous plan. Allah is angry."_

He turned to face the voice coming from behind him. But to his dismay he found a half-rotten corpse stalking him. Her jaw cracked and started to wither away. Ulysses started screaming.

_"YOU DID EVERYTHING!"_

* * *

"MOTHER, NO!"

Ulysses was staring at a wall. The one across from the bed. It was radiant with the sun's morning light. He settled down and realized he was back in the real world. The soft silk sheets under his hands were real enough. It was far more comforting than the gritty, broken marble of his nightmares. He had awoken with a cold sweat running down his back. But the sensation of a cool touch running up his spine was another story. He looked to his left and followed the trail of an arm back to its owner.

"Are you okay now?" Ultear asked with genuine worry. She sat up, once again exposing herself, and leaned in close to inspect him. Ulysses blushed slightly and turned away.

"I think so. Did… did you do something while I was dreaming?" Ulysses asked. He managed to keep the majority of her nudity out of his view. Ultear nodded and drew closer. Ulysses nearly had a heart attack when she pushed up against him and caught his head in her hands.

"I held you just like this throughout the night. You woke me up when you started thrashing a bit. So I tried calming you down, and it worked up until now." Ultear explained and stroked his hair. Ulysses presumed her methods worked better when he was unconscious. At the moment his heart was beating as though he'd been running for miles. Ultear giggled and pressed herself further into him.

"W-Well… thank you," Ulysses muttered despite his predicament. "It helped keep me from being completely terrified in my nightmare."

"Aw, I'm more than happy to help." Ultear said sweetly. Ulysses chuckled nervously and attempted to get out of bed. But Ultear's grip was tight and she pulled him back down to the pillows.

"Uh, Ultear… Shouldn't we get going? You've got a whole guild to run." Ulysses said. He instinctively closed his eyes as Ultear straddled him and playfully pinned his hands over his head.

"Oh come now, we've got some time. Why don't we pick up where we left off last night?" Ultear whispered into his ear. Ulysses felt both trapped and uncomfortably free simultaneously. Ultear was slowly sliding his shirt up and gliding her hand across his torso. She seemed to like it whenever he shivered under her touch. But he was hesitant to force her off.

"Uh… But I don't-"

"ULYSSES!" a chorus of voices called following the slamming open of the bedroom door. Then a period of silence followed where Ulysses dared to open his eyes. He lost the ability to speak and felt his blood run cold at the sight that greeted him. Standing in shock in the doorway was Erza whom was covering both Wendy and Kagura's eyes with her hands. Just behind them was Mira with an expression undiscernible from both anger and shock.

"Oops… Looks like I kept you too long." Ultear giggled as she released him. Ulysses instantly fixed his shirt and scampered away from Ultear's touchy fingers. His panic felt far worse than what his nightmares produced.

"Uh, um, shit… I didn't… I mean, there's a mildly reasonable explanation for this." Ulysses said quickly. Erza, red faced with a bloody nose, shook her head and ran out of the room with Wendy and Kagura in tow. Mira was left as the sole judge of the situation as she stood stoic in the doorway.

"I bet it's a good one, Ulysses. What exactly led to you being in Ultear's room, with her, while she was naked?" Mira asked. Her tone invoked a sense of danger as she brandished her new axe. Ulysses sighed as he got up and made his way to the door.

"Maybe not a great explanation… Simply put I only need to sleep once every five days. But when I try… it's not easy. But Ultear gave me a place to stay, right? But she never mentioned it was her own room." Ulysses explained lamely. Mira cracked up laughing for a moment before calming down.

"That sounds like her. Let me guess, she latched on and didn't let go?" Mira wondered with a smug grin. Ulysses nodded furiously.

"Yes, exactly! I mean, I guess I could've left… But I needed to sleep. And, actually, she kinda helped…" Ulysses trailed off and blushed. Mira suddenly gagged and stared at him in disgust and he realized his choice of words was very poor.

"AH! No, not like that! I swear!"

"I simply held him until he fell asleep and tried to sooth him." Ultear said as she walked up next to him. Ulysses glanced at her.

"Ah! NOW YOU'RE CLOTHED!?"

"Oh, I see… Trouble sleeping, huh? I understand… Still doesn't make it any less weird." Mira said. She pouted slightly and leaned on her axe. Ulysses sighed and nodded. He found Mira's pouting to be odd but made no mention of it.

"Don't worry. I know… now, can I get a shower?"

* * *

Ulysses sighed heavily as he donned another warm cloak on a hot day. His jacket did little to alleviate his heating condition, but he wore it for a reason. The white marble of Helios glared his eyes as he followed the small party of girls out of the city gates. But he needed to hide himself, lest anyone would see him and report him. The last thing he needed was to ruin the girls' adventure by being spotted. Or killing someone because he was spotted.

_I wouldn't kill so many people if they all weren't trying to take my goddamn head and the world as well. _Ulysses kept his head down and walked just behind them. His signature bastard sword hung from his hip. He was pleasantly surprised to see Erza carrying her sword and Mira carrying her axe. Wendy, however, was unarmed. Ulysses caught up to her and Carla.

"Wendy," he said, garnering her attention. Her curious and innocent smile warmed his heart. "I'm not sure how much you know about my situation, but if anything happens I'm here to make sure you girls are safe out here."

"Oh, Master Ultear explained it a bit. I'm glad you're here. That man who attacked our hall…" Wendy trailed off and shivered with trepidation. Ulysses patted her head.

"Don't worry. Just stay with them three and I'll take care of those guys." Ulysses assured her. Wendy nodded confidently and they caught up with the others. Carla continued to give him a curious glare but Ulysses ignored it.

"Oh, that makes sense. Ulysses, you never mentioned you were having trouble sleeping." Erza said suddenly. Ulysses sighed and assumed Mira had reiterated his explanation from the earlier debacle.

"Yeah… It's nothing to worry about. I eventually pass out once my body hits the hundred and twenty hour mark. Trying to stay asleep is the hard part." Ulysses explained. Kagura patted him on the arm.

"I understand. I frequently have bad dreams." Kagura sympathized. Ulysses gave her a curious glance.

"Really?"

"Yes, I do as well. We had a rough childhood before Mermaid Heel." Erza added. The sisterly pair shared a smile with one another. Ulysses understood why they were so close.

_Sisters by trial, not blood. _Ulysses concluded once again.

"Yeah… Lisanna, Elfman, and I had a rough time as well. Maybe not so bad, since we had each other." Mira chimed in. Ulysses felt the empathetic energy in the air. He looked between all of the girls and soon could see what had truly brought them all together. He glanced back at the retreating town.

"All you girls… Brought together under one roof. A family forged in iron, rather than blood, and a home to go to." Ulysses muttered to himself. The girls fell silent and stared at him. He glanced around and then realized he had spoken aloud.

"That's… a good way to look at it." Erza said happily. They shared a giggle and their trip continued towards an objective they still had not shared with Ulysses. He sighed but a sudden piece of information from their conversation piqued his interest.

"Wait a second, you have a brother, Mira?"

* * *

"Interesting. The Take Over Siblings… But if you and Lisanna joined Mermaid Heel, where did he go?" Ulysses wondered. He had spent about an hour or two listening to Mira explain her powers and her siblings' powers. She also managed to dote on them despite their absence. Ulysses found her passion for her family to be very heartwarming.

"He's an independent contractor in Crocus. Odd, considering he's really strong. But that was in the last letters he sent us. Maybe we'll see him soon." Mira said. There was a skip to her step as she spoke with Ulysses. He was glad to see her and the other girls in good spirits. But he was about to bring a shade over their sunny trek through the Fiore countryside. In the distance he spotted red crested helms.

"Stop." Ulysses ordered as he walked ahead of everyone. The girls did as he said and he watched the checkpoint in the distance. He sighed and drew his sword, forsaking his cloak and tossing his coat to Mira. She caught it and struggled with its weight for a moment.

_Dammit… Assyrian checkpoints are more thorough than a mother cleaning house. I can't sneak past them in the woods. They probably have war hounds. _Ulysses thought. He contemplated how fast he could dispatch the fifty or so soldiers, plus some war hounds, and turned to regard the girls.

"Ulysses… maybe it's better if you stay behind… Last time…" Kagura began. She stopped when Ulysses growled and faced the checkpoint.

"Last time I didn't eliminate all of the Golden Skull. Lucy knocked some of them out. The Skull knows I'm with you, that's for certain, but can't directly attack because they don't have the forces for it. They could easily kidnap or kill one of you in retribution if I'm not there. And the Assyrians would sooner detain you for any reason they please than let you through." Ulysses explained. He flourished his sword and stayed just far enough away to obscure himself from the Assyrian's view.

"What do we do?" Erza asked. Ulysses glanced back and sighed. The girls were his responsibility. He had not failed to notice that the others in the guild were going on local quests. But he was always the one to travel outside of Helios with the girls.

_These girls… they don't deserve this. They aren't a part of this. And I'll kill anyone that drags them into it. _Ulysses hardened his resolve.

"This is what you'll do."

* * *

Anjer watched as a group of women approached the checkpoint. He waved his spear and whistled to captain Uteth. Captain Uteth stopped the girls as they reached the checkpoint. Most of the unit gathered around to admire them. Anjer had to ogle with them. They were some of the cutest he'd seen in a while since he started guard duty.

"Hold there. State your business!" Captain Uteth called. The girls smiled and just waited. Anjer felt a pit grow in his stomach. Something was wrong. And the moment before he could call to the captain to warn him, a spear lodged itself between the folds of his armor.

"IT'S HIM!"

* * *

"RUN!"

And run she did. Wendy had not witnessed the first strike. But the sound it made. The sound the man had made shook her to the core. She kept pace with Mira and Kagura as Erza led them through the throngs of panicked soldiers.

_"Don't look back. At All." _Ulysses' words echoed in her mind. She only managed a glance before Carla righted her with a bump on the head.

"Keep running, Wendy. Just trust the man." Carla said to Wendy's utter surprise. Then, she tripped.

"WENDY!" Carla cried. Wendy tumbled to a stop right as a few of the Assyrian's hounds were on their trail. Wendy shakily got up as the others stopped to retrieve her. But they were not as fast as the hounds. Carla yelped and started pulling her along. The hounds were coming. Wendy looked back at them as pure terror filled her heart and the sounds of clashing steel filled her ears. The hounds were almost upon her. She screamed. Ulysses bellowed.

"RUN, GODDAMIT!" The hounds were pinned to the ground by a hail of spears. They howled in pain and Wendy stared on in horror as she saw Ulysses decapitate a man. Erza grabbed her and they continued running. Leaving Ulysses to finish his duty.

* * *

Ulysses stared out across the mess he created in the road. Fifty or so men lay dead in pools of blood that seeped into the dirt like rainwater. Cuts littered his body and his shirt was shredded from various spear and sword wounds. His own hot blood dripped down his arms and soaked his socks. His blade was indistinguishable from a red piece of wax. He wiped his sword down and started gathering the bodies together in a ditch. He ripped his spears from the dead hounds and the soldiers he surprised with his first strike. When they were all piled together he stepped back and sniffed the air.

_There. One is hiding in the brush. _Ulysses turned and lobbed a spear into the brush. A scream sounded and a young Assyrian soldier toppled over out of a small bush. He could not have been more than sixteen in age. Ulysses felt a strong disgust for himself well inside his chest.

_The Assyrian army was nearly wiped out in the last Power War before the Ottoman state fell. I should have expected they would recruit immature men. _Ulysses thought. The deed of killing the boy would weigh heavily on his mind for years to come as he watched the terror and life fade from the boy's eyes. It was difficult for him to resist vomiting. He removed his spear, his weapon of war, and dragged the boy to the pile of his dead comrades.

_A coward or not, he did not deserve this fate. But I'll make no exceptions to keep those girls safe. Even if it curses me for a thousand years. _Ulysses thought as a white-hot ball of energy appeared in his palm. He turned it towards the dead men and hounds. In an instant, the ball released enough energy to completely incinerate the corpses to dust. Armor and all. Then Ulysses continued on his way to catch up with the girls. His wounds slowly healed as he walked. They would turn into a few more scars upon his body. Nothing more than a reminder of his sins.

_As long as I don't let those bastards hurt those girls, or have this key, I can die knowing everything will be alright. _He gripped the leather strap around his neck. The key glistened in the fading sunlight.

* * *

"I hope he's okay… He's not invincible. We proved that when we managed to defeat him." Erza said worriedly. She paced back and forth around the room of an inn. Mira and Kagura sat quietly on the couch. But they both shared a similar feeling of worry for their favorite blacksmith. Wendy sat adjacent on a chair, clutching her hair and staring off into nothing. Carla did her best to comfort her.

"He should be okay. Lucy did say he took a killing blow and survived. We saw it." Mira said with what confidence she could muster. Before they debated any further a knock sounded at their door. Erza drew her sword and nodded to Mira to open it. Kagura stood up and brandished her sword. Mira went over to the door and looked through the peephole. She suddenly swung it open and pulled a very disgruntled and wounded Ulysses into the room.

"Ulysses!" they cried at once. He grunted and stalked over to the couch to sit down. He dropped his sheathed sword on the coffee table and nearly collapsed but Kagura managed to catch him.

"Damn… I didn't think this town was another six miles away…" Ulysses mumbled, holding a wound on his side. It was the worst one he suffered, a spear through the kidney. Erza stared in horror at his bloodied visage but Mira rushed over to Wendy and shook her from her stupor.

"Wendy! Ulysses needs your help! He's bleeding!" Mira exclaimed. Wendy gasped and jumped from her seat. She spotted Ulysses and her face grew grim. She nervously approached him and he let her see his wounds. Everyone fell silent as Wendy began healing him quietly. She yelped as he clasped her on the shoulder.

"Wendy… sorry," Ulysses mumbled. He relaxed as the pain screaming in his body started to fade. "The hounds… and you saw me fighting. I know it's hard to accept… but I won't let them hurt you."

"Ulysses…" Kagura whispered as she held him up. She panicked as he started going unconscious but Wendy calmed her down.

"His wounds heal faster when he's unconscious. He should rest, anyway… he fought for us. For our sake. Not everybody would risk their lives to keep us safe." Wendy said with a solemn smile. Mira sighed as she leaned down and inspected Ulysses.

"Yeah… I'm just mad he didn't want us to help. Something about magic-blocking… magic?" Mira wondered. Erza nodded and placed her hand on Ulysses' forehead. She stroked his hair and smiled.

"I used to think a good man never existed in this world. But he does. His name is Ulysses." Erza said quietly. The others gave her a curious stare and she blushed.

"Erza, that's the first time I've ever heard you admit that a man was good. Do you like him or something?" Mira asked with a glare. Erza blushed harder, if such a thing were possible, and started stuttering uncontrollably.

"N-N-N-N-NO! I mean, he's a good person! Nothing more!" Erza stated defiantly. Though her authoritative nature was lost to the embarrassed blush she sported. Mira stood up and gave her a light push.

"Yeah, sure that's all you meant!" Mira growled. Kagura looked between the two of them before turning her attention back to Ulysses.

"He is a good person… and rather handsome. Wouldn't you two agree?" Kagura said absentmindedly. Now she was a blushing mess as Erza and Mira gave her shocked stares. Mira calmed down and adverted her eyes with a blush.

"Well… y-yeah." Mira mumbled. Erza wringed her hands and tapped the pommel of her sword.

"He did make us some weapons… and the forge is really hot." Erza said as she glanced between the slashes in Ulysses' shirt. Carla looked around at the three girls and sighed. Wendy was focused on fixing and dressing Ulysses' wounds.

"My, you three are so predictable," Carla sighed. They all gave the cat a glare. She sighed. "The poor man won't know what to do with three of you. But… I guess the heart wants what the heart wants."

"WHAT'RE YOU GETTING AT!? DAMN CAT!" Mira yelled and started chasing Carla around the room. Erza and Kagura steamed with embarrassment. Wendy sighed as she healed the center of attention. His wounds healed mostly on their own, so she focused on the worst one. She suddenly felt a small pulse of magic come from him. It felt all too familiar to her.

"Huh? No… he's not one."

* * *

_Somewhere near Helios…_

"You can't be serious. We have been looking for this guy for years and you suddenly have him in a basement right under our noses?" Assyrian Seventh Expeditionary Regiment Captain Joth Red-Eye said. He was completely bewildered and almost did not believe what the woman before him was saying. Some of his men started spreading the word and we're rearing for a fight.

"Oh, I am. And I want something in return for helping you. I'll only tell you how to catch him if you promise me a portion of whatever this Platinum Vault is." The woman said. The glint of greed and ferocity in the woman's eye suggested truth. Captain Joth still was not convinced.

"That's something we can do. But I need evidence. I can't just go on a local's word all the time. I can't even count the number of idiots who've shown up with men who barely fit Platinum's description." Captain Joth explained with exasperation lacing his words. He tapped on the table between them as the woman reached into her deep cleavage. While he hated dealing with the locals of Fiore, he had to admit they had beautiful women.

"That's why I have this. I borrowed it from my guildmate. He re-forged it for her." She laid a small knife out onto the table. Captain Joth picked it up and unsheathed it to examine the blade. His hands trembled as he rolled it over in his glove and saw the infamous emblem. A hammer crossed with a key.

"That's the seal of the Forge Master Hephaestus… also known as Ulysses Ottoman. Platinum. I NEED A RUNNER!"

"What for, sir!?"

"I need to deliver a message to Queen Hisui."

* * *

Ulysses slowly sat up in a bed he was unfamiliar with. But with his last experience, he was somewhat relieved. He glanced around to get a grasp on his surroundings and recognized the layout of the inn the girls had rented a room in. He found his coat lying on him and his sword propped against the nightstand. He equipped a shirt and dispelled his sword. He picked up on laughter and the sounds of clinking glasses just beyond the door. He donned his coat and stepped out of the bedroom into the dimly lit room on the other side.

"Huh? OH YAY! Ulysses is okay!" Mira exclaimed drunkenly. She stumbled to her feet and downed another cup of sake as she tossed an arm around Ulysses. He sighed when he saw the enormous amount of empty sake bottles lying about the floor. Wendy was napping in the corner with Carla while Erza and Kagura giggled amongst themselves.

"Mira… how many bottles did you order?" Ulysses asked. Mira laughed and tried drinking her empty cup, only to find it empty.

"I think there's a few more on the way… Hey, are you sleepy? Sleepyhead Ulysses? Aw… that's cute… You were probably adorable when you were sleeping." Mira slurred and nearly fell over. Ulysses held onto her and tried to ignore her drunken rambling. He set her down on the couch with several empty bottles. She tried drinking the empty bottles. A knock sounded at the inn-room door and Ulysses drew his dagger. His senses told him everything was safe but he wanted to be careful. When he opened the door there was a terrified young man with a bag of sake bottles.

"Oh… hello sir. Room service, four more bottles for the ladies here." The young man said nervously. Ulysses glanced back into the room and noticed the girls were all passed out. He sighed.

"How much is the bill?" Ulysses asked with his dagger behind his back. The young man pulled out a small booklet and did some quick math.

"Um, eight thousand Jewel. Exactly." The man said with a smile. Ulysses felt a small urge in the back of his mind to stab first and ask questions later. But he refused to hurt someone innocent yet greedy. He procured the money from his pocket dimension and exchanged it for the bottles.

"Great. See ya." Ulysses said and closed the door. He set the bottles down and sat down right in front of the door. An unsheathed sword appeared in his lap. His mind was active and his body was on alert.

_I wonder if they know it's harder to fight while drunk… Lucky for me that alcohol doesn't encumber me. Or affect me at all, really… _Ulysses settled his breathing. He focused his hearing and simply started to wait out the night.

A few hours had passed since Ulysses started guarding the room. He was still patiently waiting, paying attention to footsteps and the sounds of voices in the building. It seemed that not everybody had gone home or to bed, yet. Especially a very quiet individual near the inn's front desk. Ulysses could hear him clearly, but barely understood his words.

_They still never told me what their job was. But I don't blame them. Having fun every so often is good and they've done more than enough for me. Three times I've nearly died, three times they've saved my life. I might have survived with my healing factor… but not if I got attacked again. _Ulysses heard two pairs of footsteps in the hallway.

_The least I can do for these girls… Who I now hold dear for their kindness… Is kill anyone trying to hurt them because of me._

Ulysses reached forward and picked up his sword.

* * *

Miles hurried away from the room he led the masked madman to. He was going to run and find a town guard up until he heard the door slam shut. When he turned around he watched as the bloody blade of a sword was rammed through the door from the inside. Then, it all went quiet as a pool of blood rolled out from under the door. Miles then ran to one of the bathrooms to vomit.

* * *

"Ugh… my head…" Mira whined from the couch as she woke up. Ulysses still sat on the floor in front of the room door but his sword was missing. Erza slowly moved to get up off the floor in the center of the room. Wendy was still asleep in the corner with Carla while Kagura had moved to the bedroom in the middle of the night. She exited the adjacent room and yawned loudly.

"Huh… Something smells weird." Kagura said mid-yawn. She shuffled over to where Ulysses sat and picked up her sword, only to drop it on the floor and gasp.

"Good morning, Kagura." Ulysses said quietly and stood up. Kagura glanced between him and the door. She then gagged a bit and turned away.

"Kagura? What's wrong- Oh… oh no…" Erza trailed off as her eyes saw it as well. She rushed over to comfort Kagura and they moved away from the scene. Mira noticed their odd behavior and moved to peek over Ulysses' shoulder.

"What's all the fuss about? Oh." Mira stared in horror. A white masked cultist was pinned to the door of the room by Ulysses' sword. The blood around the wound had dried and the cultist's dagger lay in the dried pool of blood on the floor. Ulysses stepped forward and pulled his sword free. The corpse slumped to the floor.

"I left him there so that I didn't wake or leave you girls alone while I disposed of him. It also served as a message to anyone else who had his idea. I'm sorry you saw this… But like I said… if there was one, maybe there were two more I didn't detect. I couldn't just leave…" Ulysses said. His grip tightened on his sword and he hid his emotions. A gentle hand rested itself on his sword hand. He glanced at Mira. She put her other arm around his back and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you… Ulysses. If you weren't here… he might have done any number of horrible things. I guess I never should've ordered that booze. It made us vulnerable. More so than usual." Mira said. She gently rubbed her thumb on his hand and Ulysses felt all his guilt, rage, and sadness start to dull slightly. He stared at the man he killed.

"I see them, you know. When I try to sleep… or relax… I see them. Even if I never saw their faces, I see them. They haunt my memories. Every single one." Ulysses whispered. The last flash of life in the eyes of a dying man. He had seen it when he killed the cultist. Their masks hid their faces, but not their eyes. The man's hazel eyes had been hoping for something as the blade had run him through. He felt someone gently hug his left arm.

"It must be hard… fighting for your life every time you draw your sword. And now our lives on top of that… I wish they would leave you alone." Kagura said as she held his arm. Ulysses felt a hand on his back.

"I wish you didn't have to kill." Erza said quietly. For a moment, everything was silent and vividly real. Ulysses was surrounded and felt comfort at every turn.

_I get it now… I really can rely on these women. They actually care for me… _Ulysses let himself smile for a moment. He put away his sword and stared down at the body. He glanced back to see Wendy and Carla still asleep.

"Okay. Get ready to head out. I'll get rid of this mess."

* * *

"So what exactly is this quest about?" Ulysses asked as the girls led him to the outskirts of the town. They approached a large and abandoned warehouse.

"According to the flyer, there's a large group of bandits held up in this warehouse. They occasionally shakedown townspeople and attack travelers." Erza explained. The group stopped outside the doors to the warehouse and Erza promptly kicked them open. And just like that, a massive brawl ensued as the bandits did not take too kindly to their hideout being raided. Ulysses had expected the girls to possibly form a plan, or take them by more of a surprise. But apparently they enjoyed the upfront, beat them into submission method.

_Why am I not surprised? _Ulysses thought with a sigh. He did not detect an ounce of magic from any of the bandits as Erza opened up on them with a slew of flying swords.

"I suppose I can sit this one out. They're not very dangerous, are they?" Ulysses said as he stood and watched the carnage with Wendy and Carla. Mira transformed and laid siege to their puny force of archers. Kagura simply smacked them into the concrete with her gravity magic.

"No. They don't appear to be very competent, either. They could learn a technique or two from you, Ulysses!" Wendy giggled. Ulysses smiled seeing her being cheerful. He hoped and prayed she would be alright. She seemed so innocent and the last thing he wanted was to destroy that innocence. A stray arrow came their way.

"Shit, Wendy!" Ulysses said as he drew his sword. But a blast of wind from Wendy's hand sent the arrow flying back into the warehouse. Ulysses stopped dead in his tracks.

"Humph. Arrogant boy, Wendy is perfectly capable of fending for herself." Carla stated. Wendy smiled sheepishly. Ulysses' adrenaline died down and he sheathed his sword.

"Well… I could've swore you were a healer. What kind of magic can heal and attack?" Ulysses wondered. Wendy smiled and stared up into the air.

"It's called Sky Dragon Slayer Magic. It mostly has support and healing spells, but also has attack spells. But the attack spells aren't as powerful as the healing and support spells, so I rarely go on jobs where I have to fight. I think I'm mostly here just to heal Mirajane's knuckles." Wendy explained as Ulysses watched Mira smash a bandit's face in. He was surprised to learn that Wendy wielded an old and powerful Lost Magic. But then both of them turned towards a noise they both heard. A bandit was trying to escape out of the side of the warehouse. Wendy went to react but Ulysses held her back and grinned.

"Hang on, I got it." Ulysses said and summoned up another sword. Though instead of attacking the man directly, who was now running away, he began to unscrew the pommel. Once freed from the tang, Ulysses lined up a throw and whipped the pommel at the man. The bandit collapsed as the pommel cracked off the back of his head.

"Wow… nice throw. But why that?" Wendy commented. Ulysses grinned and went to go retrieve the pommel. She followed closely. Carla seemed to be holding in laughter.

"It's called 'Ending Him Rightly' and, well, it was probably a joke in the manuscript, it's pretty fun to do." Ulysses said. He retrieved the pommel and screwed it back on.

"It was kinda funny. But why not take it off your other sword?" Wendy asked as she looked between both weapons. Ulysses grinned again and drew his bastard sword.

"Well, here's the difference…"

* * *

After about ten minutes of explaining different pommel constructions to Wendy, and also different sword designs, the others were done beating up the bandits. Erza procured a rope and tied up all seventy eight of the bandit crew into a big ball of bandits.

"That was exciting. Also a lot less dangerous than the last crew we faced." Erza commented as she hefted the ball of bandits. Mira and Kagura joined her as they walked outside to see Wendy giggling with Ulysses while Carla napped on Wendy's head.

"Wait, wait, so it was written by an actual swordsmanship instructor?" Wendy asked. Ulysses nodded and stood up on an unconscious bandit he was sitting on.

"If you want to end him rightly, hold your spear and sword together on your arm, unscrew the pommel of your sword and throw it at him vigorously!" Ulysses exclaimed. Wendy laughed again and Ulysses picked up the unconscious bandit by the collar.

"What are you two going on about?" Mira wondered as they approached. Wendy giggled a bit and Ulysses grinned. He began slapping the bandit to wake him up.

"Hey! HEY! Wake up, sunshine!" Ulysses yelled at the man. The bandit woke up and started cowering in fear as Ulysses held him up.

"Please! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!" the bandit pleaded. Ulysses drew a sword and brandished it in the man's face.

"Oh, I'm gonna hurt you. But I'll give you ten seconds to run. NOW!" Ulysses yelled and dropped the terrified man. He began crying and took off into the fields yet again.

"What the-!? Ulysses, he's one of the bad guys! Don't let him run away!" Erza exclaimed angrily. Ulysses urged them to stay back as he began unscrewing the pommel on his sword again. The man was pretty far away now as Ulysses lined up the shot. Then, he whipped the metal ball at the bandit. With an audible thud, the man went down as the pommel bounced off the top of his head.

"And thus, he has been ended rightly." Ulysses said with a flourish and a bow. All of the girls began giggling at the poor bandit's fate and Kagura started out into the field to retrieve him.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Mira wondered as Kagura returned with the bandit and a pommel. Ulysses accepted his pommel and screwed it back onto the sword. With another bow he started with them back to the town.

"I aim to please." Ulysses chuckled.

"You're a good aim. Period."

* * *

As the group made their way back into the town, Ulysses could feel something was off. The normally bustling town square was eerily silent and all of the civilians could be seen looking down on them from the windows of their homes. A small group of Fiore soldiers were standing in the center of town. The walked forward to receive the bandits from Erza but also cut Ulysses off from the girls. One of the soldiers whispered to the girls.

"You'll want to stay back."

"Motherfucker…" Ulysses started. He tossed his cloak off and drew his sword as the soldiers leveled their spears at him. But in the same instant a huge contingent of both Fiore and Assyrian soldiers burst from various buildings throughout the town. They surrounded the square and kept the alarmed and angry Mermaids separate from their quarry. The man who stood surrounded in the middle of the town. The soldiers nervously kept him at spear's length.

"Platinum! You're surrounded!" An Assyrian captain shouted. Ulysses glanced around and counted two hundred men. One hundred and fifty Fiore soldiers, and fifty Assyrians.

"I can see that. What makes you think that'll stop me from slaughtering all of you?" Ulysses growled. He gripped his sword tightly and picked which man to kill first.

"Because you're coming back to Crocus with me." A feminine voice stated from behind. Ulysses turned to see a break in the formation. A green haired woman in extravagant armor walked forward with a tall knight who sported an afro. Ulysses noticed the crown on her head.

"Fuck." Ulysses cursed as the knight drew his sword. He stood just in front of the woman. The Queen of Fiore.

"I am Hisui E. Fiore. Queen of this land, and I'll not have you walk freely upon my land anymore. Arcadios, arrest this man." Queen Hisui ordered. The knight stepped forward and faced Ulysses down. Ulysses gritted his teeth.

"You're making a big mistake… Not only do I have the power to kill all of you… I'm willing to use it if those Assyrian dog-shits lays a hand on any of those girls there." Ulysses threatened. His eyes glowed brightly and his knuckles turned white gripping his sword. Pure wrath invaded his mind as Arcadios tried to step closer, only to nearly lose his head in the process.

"Don't worry. The Mermaid Heel members are to be escorted back to their guild by the Magic Council, and only the Magic Council. Does that suit you?" Queen Hisui said. Ulysses growled and sliced off one of her soldier's spearheads. The man yelped and retreated.

"No one is going anywhere. I can't let you do this." Ulysses growled. Arcadios stepped forward and engaged him. Ulysses roared and easily overpowered the man. He kicked Arcadios' knees out and brought his sword down to execute him.

"ULYSSES!" The edge of his sword sliced off a piece of Arcadios' hair and stopped dead in its tracks. Ulysses looked up to see Erza shaking in her armor. She hid her face with her hair as tears rolled down her cheeks. Ulysses felt all of his fury vanish. Mira was holding onto Wendy, and both of them were teary-eyed. Kagura could not even face the scene before them. Their upset visages quite simply broke Ulysses. He lost his will to fight and his sword vanished from his hands.

_Erza… Kagura… Mira… Wendy… I'm sorry. _Ulysses stepped back and slowly put his hands behind his head. Arcadios stood up, shaken from his near death, and slowly sheathed his sword. He carefully stepped behind Ulysses and handcuffed him.

"You're making a big mistake."

* * *

**Pause for dramatic music… And that's it for this chapter in the Saga of, wait that's not the title. But will Ulysses pull himself out of this predicament, or fall prey to the hands of his ancient enemies?**

**Find out next time with more of Bonds!**


End file.
